Portrait of Shade

by Benjamin Ford

  ‘Oh did he now?’ gasped Eudora. ‘Well that’s really quite interesting, because I’ve just had a quick shufty round the place–’

  ‘And it’s gone?’ interjected Nathan in a tone than implied he was not altogether surprised.

  Eudora nodded solemnly. The discovery had come as no great shock to her either. It was becoming increasingly obvious that Taine’s Trinity was the key to it all. Someone was desperate to obtain it and clearly did not care by which method they achieved their goal, and now it seemed as though whoever it was had succeeded.

  Perhaps now her life would not be in jeopardy.

  The thought offered Eudora scant comfort. She cared little about the painting. Works of art were inconsequential compared with life itself, but she knew she had to get the painting back and bring the killers to justice, otherwise Isadora and Gaia’s deaths would have been as pointless as they were senseless.

  Murder was pointless anyway, in Eudora’s eyes. It stemmed from greed, anger, or jealousy, and never served any decent purpose. She had always believed she could never kill another human being, but thoughts of vengeance were beginning to fill her head, and she hated herself for such thoughts. She wanted the killers to suffer as Isadora and Gaia had suffered. However, that would not bring her cousin and sister back; it would serve only to tarnish their memory. Taking such a drastic act of revenge would make her no better than the killers. Revenge was supposed to be sweet, but taking that avenue would lead only to bitter after-effects. Better to have the killers caught and let the authorities mete out their own judgement.

  ‘Nate, I’ve known Storm for years. He couldn’t hurt a fly, let alone kill two good friends! No, I’m convinced the killers were hired by that man who was trying to buy the painting when Isadora was bidding for it.’

  ‘If we can find out who he is, then perhaps the police can find the killers.’

  Eudora glanced up at Nathan anxiously. ‘Oh, do you really think so? Do you think the police will catch them?’

  Nathan wanted to give Eudora hope, something to believe in, but he did not want that hope to be a false one. ‘It’s doubtful, unless there were any clues left here last night. It looks like forensics has gone through the place with a fine toothcomb. If they found anything significant, I’m sure they’ll let us know in due course.’

  In due course! How he hated that phrase. That meant they would have to wait for weeks, possibly several months, before discovering that the police had discovered precisely nothing.

  ‘Your mother found the…’ Eudora’s words faltered. It was not right to refer to her cousin as ‘the body’. ‘Your mother found Gaia. Did she find anything that could give us a lead?’

  Nathan pursed his lips thoughtfully. ‘I don’t know. I think perhaps she did.’ He was worried about his mother, more so now than ever. Could it be that Constance had seen something else when she found Gaia last night? Was that why she had disappeared without a word? If she had seen something, then she too might be in peril.

  * * *

  Dorothea Clayton had not slept at all, tossing and turning ceaselessly as her feverish mind conjured images of doom from her past. Her inability to sleep drove her downstairs to the front drawing room, where she sat reading one of her son’s novels until footsteps pacing up and down outside on the pavements disturbed her peace. She climbed to her feet and moved to the window, twitching the corner of the curtain to avoid being seen. She was more than a little surprised to see Constance Bosporus walking past the window in the pouring rain, then turning and walking back again.

  Having fallen asleep in the chair in the corner of her living room, Constance had awakened in the early hours of the morning, troubled and confused by half-remembered dreams of three men. She knew her friend Dorothea would be able to explain what was going on. Somehow, she sensed Dorothea knew about Spiridon, Constantine and Diocletian – whoever they were. Constance recalled the names, but could not place them.

  She was startled to hear her name called out above the sound of the driving rain and turned sharply, almost twisting her ankle, to see Dorothea standing in the doorway to her home.

  ‘Constance, come in out of the rain. For goodness sakes, you’re soaked!’ As Constance scrambled up the steps, removing her coat and shoes as she entered the impeccable hallway, Dorothea could see the tiredness in her friend’s eyes. ‘You look like you’ve had as much sleep as I have!’ Constance whirled round, and Dorothea read the anger in her posture. ‘Ah, so you have been enlightened.’

  ‘Enlightened about what, Dorothea?’

  ‘Let’s discuss it over a cup of tea.’

  Constance followed Dorothea into the kitchen and settled herself at the small breakfast table in front of the window at the far end. ‘So, Dorothea, what is it that I am supposed to have been enlightened about?’ she said as she watched her friend pottering about.

  Dorothea brought over a couple of cups and saucers and spoons, along with the pot of milk and sugar bowl. ‘How much do you know?’

  ‘I’m not sure that I actually know anything. Something happened to me last night after I left here. I had a visitation… from Justine.’

  ‘So your sister’s spirit lives on within you?’

  ‘It’s all so hazy, but she introduced me to a man called Constantine.’ Constance looked up at Dorothea as she uttered the name, and saw the recognition flicker across her friend’s features. ‘I see that the name means something to you. And what of Spiridon and Diocletian; do they mean anything to you?’

  Dorothea nodded, moving back to the kettle as it boiled, and she poured the water into the teapot. ‘Yes, unfortunately they mean a great deal to me.’ She sighed as she set the teapot on the table and seated herself beside Constance. ‘I had convinced myself that this day would not come, that it was all part of my imagination, but I can pretend no longer.’

  ‘What are you talking about, Dorothea? What is your involvement in all this?’

  Dorothea smiled sadly, as she poured the milk and then the tea. ‘I was afraid you might ask that. Perhaps it’s time I told you everything.’

  * * *

  Nola approached the Donat Gallery warily, terrified of what she might find there. She had not slept a wink all night, trembling with fear beneath the sheets, refusing to discuss what had happened with her father when he had knocked on her bedroom door.

  This morning, having gone over everything in her mixed up mind for much of the night, she reluctantly came to accept that her father had been left with no other real option than to get rid of the liability. Nola wished it had not been necessary to kill Gaia, but when unusual circumstances prevailed, drastic measures were required to protect numerous people, herself included.

  When she had gone downstairs to breakfast, and her father had greeted her with a cold smile, advising her that she should go to the gallery, she had almost refused, until Dino calmly informed her that the police would have cleared the place up by now.

  Nola hoped her father was correct. She also hoped he was right in his belief that she would be able to carry out her part in his plan adequately. She had to find out what Gaia had done with the painting.

  Through the rain, she recognised Nathan’s car, and since there was no sign of any police, she imperceptibly quickened her pace, her shoes filling with water as she splashed through the puddles. She gripped her umbrella more tightly, hoping she would be able to pull it off. All she had to do was stay calm, act concerned and grief-stricken, and everything would be fine.

  She tentatively pushed at the door, and finding it locked used her key to unlock it, then opened it and cautiously entered the seemingly empty gallery. She had deliberately left her visit until mid morning, primarily to ensure that Eudora would be there – which her father’s henchmen had confirmed.

  She shivered as she quietly closed the door. She was not entirely sure what she would say when she came face to face with Eudora. She was terrified of being discovered, even though there was nothing to link her to the murders. The only way anyone
could find out would be if she let it slip herself, so whilst she was alone downstairs in the gallery she composed herself carefully.

  She was not alone for long. She had been standing in the middle of the black and white floor for a few minutes, trying not to think about what she might find upstairs, when Nathan appeared at the top of the staircase. He was surprised to see Nola down below and concealed his contempt as he made his way down the iron stairs. His loud clattering footsteps echoed around the silent gallery, startling the young woman as he approached her. His cold demeanour was evident on his face, and Nola prepared to bolt, taking this as a sign that she had been rumbled.

  ‘Hello Nola. I suppose you’ve heard the terrible news?’

  ‘About Gaia, you mean? Yes, it’s awful. How’s Dora? I phoned her flat earlier to see how she is, but there was no answer, so I came here looking for her.’

  ‘She’s coping as well as can be expected. She’s been here since quite early, going through the inventory to see if anything was stolen. She tried to call you about an hour ago.’

  ‘I’ve been… walking in the rain, trying to think of how best to offer my condolences.’

  ‘She’s upstairs in the office. I have to go out, but you can go on up.’

  As Nathan left the gallery, locking the door behind him, Nola took a deep breath before climbing the stairs. She found Eudora standing in the office, searching through a pile of paperwork on the desk.

  When she glanced up at the footsteps, Eudora’s initial look of alarm turned into relief at seeing the trainee. ‘Nola, I’ve been trying to get hold of you for the past hour,’ she said, ceasing her attack on the pile of papers.

  ‘So Nathan was saying downstairs. Dora, I am so sorry to hear the terrible news. I can’t believe it… first Izzy, and now Gaia!’

  ‘It seems as though someone is trying to bump off my entire family. I could be next!’

  ‘Oh God, I hope not, Dora!’

  Eudora fixed Nola with a penetrating look. ‘The portrait has been stolen, Nola. I want to know if you told anyone about it.’

  Nola shook her head. ‘No, I told no one, but Derek might have.’

  ‘Derek?’

  Too late Nola realised her blunder, and she tried to bluster her way through it. ‘I was with him when he was killed. We met in the street not far from the gallery, and he asked me for my opinion of the portrait. If he talked to me about it, it’s possible he talked to someone else too. Maybe that’s why he was killed?’

  Eudora was appalled. She had been unaware of Derek’s death. Nola’s revelation was almost the last straw, and she collapsed into the chair behind the desk. ‘Oh, poor Derek,’ she whispered. ‘He was so gentle. He wouldn’t have harmed anyone. It’s dreadful that he was caught up in all this. You say you were with him when he died. Did you see who killed him?’

  Nola shook her head, close to tears. ‘We were crossing a road, and this car just came at us from nowhere. He shoved me out of the way. He saved my life.’

  ‘Oh! Has it occurred to you that you might have been the intended victim?’

  ‘It did cross my mind. I’m beginning to think I'm jinxed! I was with Derek when he died, and I was with Gaia minutes before the time that the television said she was most likely killed.’

  Eudora’s eyes widened in shock. ‘You were here last night?’

  Nola nodded. ‘I came to see you, but you weren’t here. I found Gaia instead, and we talked for a while. She said she’d only just had another visitor. Don Dusan from Sotheby’s came to take a painting for evaluation.’ She gasped in a theatrical manner, as if pieces of a puzzle had suddenly fallen into place. ‘Dora, it must have been Dion Taine’s Trinity! The person who killed Gaia must have come here looking for the painting, and killed her when they discovered it wasn’t here!’

  Eudora regarded Nola shrewdly for a moment. Something was not right, but she could not quite put her finger on it. She could not understand why Gaia would have told Nola that she had sent the portrait to Sotheby’s to be valued, as they only mentioned Sotheby’s as a diversionary tactic when someone they did not trust might potentially overhear transportation plans. Was it possible that Gaia had discovered some secret that their trainee had been hiding from them?

  ‘Well, at least that clears up the mystery of where the painting is,’ she said. ‘I’m relieved it hasn’t been stolen.’

  ‘Oh my God, Dora, if poor Gaia told the killers where the painting is, they might go there and try and steal it!’

  ‘That’s very true,’ said Eudora, reaching immediately for the telephone. ‘I’ll ring Sotheby’s to make certain it’s still there, and warn them to beef up security if necessary.’

  She pressed the number 9 on speed-dial, knowing it to have no number stored, and for a few moments remained silent, gathering her thoughts. ‘Hello,’ she said after she had decided enough time had elapsed. ‘This is Eudora Donat, ringing from the Donat Gallery. Yes, that’s right.’ She sighed sadly. ‘Yes, thank you for your kind words. Yes, I shall be fine, I’m sure. I’m phoning to confirm that you have taken delivery of the painting Trinity by Dion Taine.’ She frowned for Nola’s benefit. ‘I was informed that your man Don Dusan collected it from our premises early yesterday evening. Oh, okay, I must have got the message wrong. I’m sorry to have troubled you. Yes, thank you. Goodbye.’

  Eudora hung up and glanced at Nola, maintaining a worried frown. ‘That’s odd. Apparently they didn’t send anyone to pick up the painting yesterday. In fact, they don’t even have anyone named Don Dusan working there!’

  Nola was appalled. ‘But that’s what Gaia told me. So if Sotheby’s don’t have the painting, where is it?’

  Eudora shrugged, assuaging Nola’s sudden fraught loss of composure with interest. ‘I have no idea.’

  ‘But we must get it back,’ gasped Nola.

  ‘Why?’ demanded Eudora. ‘It’s only a painting when all’s said and done, and if it’s the reason for the deaths that have been occurring, then I’m glad to be rid of it!’

  ‘But it’s a painting of enormous value! You stand to lose millions if you don’t get it back. And what about the lost glory of discovering a lost painting by Dion Taine?’

  ‘Ah, money and glory,’ Eudora said with a slight smile, still trying to work out what Nola’s angle on the situation could be. ‘The prospect of making more money than even capricious old Eudora Donat thought possible? The thought of making possibly the most important discovery the art world has seen in decades? Do you really think that’s all Isadora, Gaia and I thought of whilst running this gallery, because if you do, then you are sorely mistaken, Nola Clayton! First and foremost, we love art! That passion drove us close to bankruptcy on several occasions. Love for works of art is what will get me through this terrible time. I don’t care that the painting is gone… I’d have gladly given it away to prevent the deaths of Isadora and Gaia!’

  ‘You run this gallery purely for love?’ laughed Nola sarcastically. ‘I find that very hard to believe.’

  Eudora sat back in the chair, folding her hands in her lap as she stared at Nola. ‘Was that why you took up my offer of an apprenticeship here? Are you here purely for profit and glory? Are you not here for genuine appreciation for works of art?’

  ‘No, not just for money and glory! I do love art as well… surely you must know that?’ Nola realised that there was a danger of being discovered as a fraud should she continue with her blatantly condescending dismissal of the art world as being little more than a bourgeois hobby.

  Eudora noticed Nola’s vibrations of unease, but maintained her passive composure. ‘Well, the thief would be most foolish to disclose their possession of Dion Taine’s Trinity, don’t you think? Especially taking into consideration that there have been at least two murders in connection with its disappearance, possibly more!’

  ‘True, but nobody else knows it was in your possession, do they?’

  Eudora chose her words carefully, not wishing to put anyone else in possible danger.
‘Well, there is someone else who knows it was here.’

  ‘You mean Nathan?’

  ‘I was thinking more of you, Nola,’ said Eudora in a quiet voice.

  ‘Me? But surely you consider me practically part of the family.’

  ‘Well I would have liked to think that you could be trusted, Nola!’

  ‘I’m sorry, Dora, but everyone has their price… even me.’

  ‘And would that price include implicating yourself in double murder, Nola?’

  Nola turned white. ‘No… I didn’t mean it like that, Dora. You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you, or the others. You have all been so kind to me since I came here to work. I would never betray you in that way. I was trying to make the point that if I think I might have my price, then others close to you might have their price too!’

  Eudora stood and moved round to the other side of the desk, patting Nola on the shoulder. ‘It’s all right, Nola, I know you couldn’t betray me. It would be like betraying a parent!’ She felt Nola tense slightly beneath her touch at those words, but made no comment. ‘Go home, Nola, you can do nothing here for the moment. I have some more enquiries to make about this man, Don Dusan, whoever he is. Come in at your usual time on Monday, and perhaps we shall have some answers.’

  Nola relaxed. Speaking without first thinking was one of her worst faults, and for a moment, she had believed she had given herself away. Despite the fact that she did not actually enjoy working at the gallery that much, she had grown genuinely fond of Eudora, regarding her very much as a surrogate mother. Having discovered her father’s involvement in the murders of Isadora, Gaia and Derek, it occurred to Nola that he might have been responsible for her mother’s death too. When she had questioned him about it earlier that morning, Dino did not attempt to deny the truth. When he then explained his reasons for murdering Justine, Nola understood and accepted, though she could never forgive. She hoped the same fate was not to befall Eudora.

  When Eudora returned to her desk and continued her search for the documents she was looking for, Nola realised she had been dismissed, and she ran from the office, cannoning into Nathan without apology as he came along the passage.