The Bloody Canvas

by KJ Kalis

  Hailey shifted in her seat, refolding her legs. “What kind of project is it? Like an internship?”

  Abibi smiled. One thing that never ceased to amaze her was how innocent the students at the school were. They had little understanding of the ways of the world. For that, she was grateful for her upbringing in Kenya, where the conditions were much harsher. Most students in the United States would never know that type of hardship. She, however, was happy about it. It had made her strong. “No, not an internship. It’s a paid job.”

  Hailey wrinkled her brow and leaned forward. “I think I would be interested,” she said, sounding unsure. “What does it involve?”

  Abibi stepped away from the window, no longer seeing anything on the quad that was worth looking at. She sat in the chair facing Hailey, crossing her long legs at the knee. “This project would involve replicating a famous work of Rembrandt.”

  “I could do that,” Hailey said.

  “Before you agree to the project, there are a few things that you need to know. First, the work would have to be of the highest quality. My reputation rides on the work that you do and your ability to deliver the piece at the correct time.” Hailey nodded. “In addition, there is a short window for delivering the work. You would have two weeks to complete the entire project.”

  Hailey turned her head and looked towards the books at the back of Abibi’s office. “Which Rembrandt is your client interested in?”

  “‘The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.’” Abibi waited for a moment, watching Hailey intently. She wondered what the young student thought about trying to re-create such a prominent piece from that period. “Are you familiar with that piece?”

  “Yes.” Hailey looked at Abibi. “I can do that for sure. How much is the pay? And, how would I pay for materials?”

  Abibi waited for a moment, weighing her options, not sure if she wanted to tell Hailey about the full payment that Christopher had offered just yet. Hailey’s question about who would pay for the materials was a good one. The canvas, oils, brushes, varnish and other materials needed could cost quite a bit of money, money she was sure Hailey didn’t have. “The pay is two thousand dollars,” Abibi lied. Though Christopher said that there were one hundred thousand dollars on the table, fifty for Abibi and fifty for Hailey, Abibi didn’t want to be stuck paying Hailey for work if Christopher didn’t come through with the money. She realized that she would have to ask Christopher about that sooner rather than later. “Let me talk to my contact and get you money for your materials.” Abibi stood up and walked to the door. “You will do the project, then?”

  Hailey stood up, understanding from Abibi’s body language that it was time for her to leave. “Yes.”

  “Good. I’ll be in touch.” As Abibi closed the door after Hailey, a sense of relief and dread flooded into her system at the same time. She may have just committed herself to pay a student several thousand dollars for work that she didn’t need if Christopher didn’t come through. It was money that she had, but money that she didn’t want to spend. She quickly penned a text to Christopher, letting him know that she had a student ready to start the project. She asked about paying for materials.

  A text from Christopher came back almost immediately, as if he had been sitting right by his cell phone. “If you’ll give me your bank account information, I will deposit five thousand dollars in it for materials and coordination to get you started.”

  Abibi sent him the information, curiosity growing in her stomach. Would he really send her the money right now? She had her answer inside of two minutes. Her phone chimed with a notification from her bank that a deposit had been made. She opened the app and looked. Sure enough, Christopher had added five grand to her account. She sat down in the chair behind her desk swinging it gently from side to side as she thought, considering her next move. After a few minutes, she sent a text to Hailey, asking her to price out the cost for all the materials that she would need in order to finish the project. It was a test to see if Hailey was serious about completing the project.

  Abibi didn’t have to wait long. An hour later, Abibi received a text from Hailey telling her that she had just emailed a list of materials she would need to finish the project. When Abibi opened the email, she quickly saw that Hailey had been very thorough. Everything from three canvases to multiple types of paint, varnish, thinner and brushes was on the list. In her email, Hailey wrote, “Dr. Roux, I tried to choose materials that I thought were the closest to the types that were used during Rembrandt’s time. Although we don’t have access to exactly what he used, I think these will give me the best chance of making the painting look realistic. Please let me know your thoughts, Hailey.”

  The cost to get all the materials together was close to two thousand dollars. Abibi wasn’t surprised. Quality art materials, especially oils, could be pricey at best. Many of them contained rare materials such as cadmium and tanzanite, precious materials that had to be mined from the earth. That said, Abibi knew that the things Hailey chose would indeed give her the best chance to make the Rembrandt replica look as original as possible. Abibi paced in her office. Although she trusted Hailey’s talent, she didn’t know Hailey well enough to know if she could be trusted with several thousand dollars in her pocket.

  Abibi sent the list over to the local art supply store and asked them to charge the materials to her account and have it ready in two hours. She received an email back fifteen minutes later letting her know that most of the materials were in stock. The rest would have to be ordered. The good news was that at least Hailey would have enough materials to get started.

  Their first project together had gone well. Hailey acted responsibly, kept Abibi in the loop about her progress, and even invited her to come and see the work in progress. Abibi offered Hailey a few critiques, and they were able to get the painting done for Christopher two days early.

  After Abibi handed off the project to Christopher, he handed her a bag of cash. In her heart, she knew what that meant, but she couldn’t turn down the amount of money that she saw in the bag. It was more than she had ever seen in one place at one time.

  The next morning, Abibi drove over to Hailey’s dorm and texted her, asking her to come downstairs. Out in the parking lot, away from the prying eyes of many of the students, Abibi handed Hailey her portion of the payment. Christopher had paid the full one hundred thousand dollars, even though he had given them a deposit to cover the materials. As Hailey opened the bag, her face paled. “All of this? I thought the pay was two thousand dollars. This looks like a lot more than that.”

  Abibi smiled, a lie seeping out between her teeth. “My client heard about your plight and paying for your schooling. He said that talent like yours needed to go to school no matter what happened. He’s hoping this will help you to stay here.”

  A smile finally formed on Hailey’s face, “It will! Thank you so much!” As she walked away, Abibi called to her, “One thing, young lady.”

  “Yes, Dr. Roux?”

  “You are taking that to the bank right now, aren’t you?”

  Hailey’s face flushed. “Yes, of course.” She turned to walk the other way, toward town where Abibi knew the majority of the banks were.

  Abibi smiled, “Let me drive you. You shouldn’t be walking through the city with all of that money.”

  That had been the only project for about three months. Then one day, out of the blue, Christopher had sent Abibi a text, asking if they could meet again. This time, he wanted to see her at a local park. The weather had cooled a little from their first meeting over the summer. Abibi had a light sweater on over her dress. “It’s nice to see you again,” she said to Christopher when she saw him.

  “It’s nice to see you as well. Come, let’s sit on this bench.”

  Abibi waited, wondering what he had to say. Inside, she secretly hoped he had another project for her, the tension growing in her stomach. The money he paid her for the first project had gone to some lovely home improvements and some new clothes. An
other cash injection would certainly be welcome.

  “I have another project for you, if you’re interested.”

  Abibi nodded. “Certainly. What do you have in mind?”

  “The student that you used last time did a wonderful job. My client was quite satisfied. Now, I have another client who is interested in a similar piece. If I send you the specifications, might you be able to get in touch with her to see if she could do the work?”

  Abibi nodded.

  Christopher stood up, “I’ll be in touch.”

  Their relationship had grown from that point. Christopher would send a cryptic message to Abibi asking to meet. After success on the first four projects, with short turnarounds and the same pay, Christopher sent her instructions on how to use an encrypted chat room in order to pass information back and forth. The fact that they had to use something so cloak and dagger made Abibi a little bit nervous, but the money was so good that she couldn’t turn it down. Abibi liked it. Hailey needed it.

  Though she tried to hide it, Hailey’s death had shaken Abibi to the core. Not only was she suspicious about the stabbing, but Abibi’s golden goose had been taken from her. She had pretended for the last several days that nothing was wrong. In her heart, she knew that wasn’t the case. She just wondered how long it would be before trouble came knocking at her door…

  15

  The whine of the airplane engines seemed to have put Eli to sleep for the majority of the flight to Heathrow. Kat didn’t have the same experience. Sitting cramped in the middle seat, she twisted and turned as many ways possible but just couldn’t get comfortable. The whispers of people around her didn’t help either. Kat was used to a much quieter lifestyle, one that didn’t include being stuck on a cramped plane for six hours.

  Without much fanfare, the sleek silver wide-bodied jet touched down in England. Kat smelled the familiar odor of jet fuel and coffee mixed together as she walked out onto the concourse. Henry had messaged right before they took off, telling her he’d taken care of getting she and Eli a hotel reservation. Her phone beeped, loading texts from the last several hours. Henry said he’d meet them out front. Jack had sent a picture of the dogs. She missed home.

  Memories from her last trip to London flooded through her, remembering how suspicious she had been of Henry when she landed, the questions she had asked and how long it had taken her to warm up to him. In a way, she was glad she was careful. In another way, she was glad that she already knew him for this case.

  “Well, hello love!” Henry said, giving her a big hug. Kat stepped back for a moment before answering. Henry looked exactly the same as when she had seen him the last time, two years before. The same rumpled hair and clothes, the same pale face and warm eyes. “Let me get your luggage.”

  Henry must have noticed Eli standing behind her, “Well, hello. You must be Eli.” Henry stuck out his hand. Eli shook it warmly, bowing his head.

  “I am indeed. Eli, Eli Langster.”

  “It’s a pleasure,” Henry said. For a moment Kat held her breath, worried that Henry would immediately start interrogating Eli about his past. Kat was grateful when Henry did nothing more than introduce himself and get everyone loaded into the car. There would be plenty of time for questions later.

  England didn’t look much different than it did the last time she was there. The trees were a little fuller with their summer foliage, and the traffic still drove about three inches from each other’s bumpers, making Kat catch her breath every single time they got close to other vehicles. Based on what Kat remembered, it seemed that they were heading back to Henry’s office until they took the turn off directly into London. “I thought we’d stop by my new office,” Henry said. “After that, I’ll take you to the building where the art is being stored for customs.”

  “How long ago did the flight arrive?” Kat asked.

  Henry glanced at his watch as he drove. Other than Eli, Henry was the only person Kat had met in the recent past who still wore an old-style watch. “By my watch,” Henry said, “It looks like the plane landed just over ten hours ago.”

  Kat stared out the window as she thought about what they were about to do. The trees, fields and landscapes turned into clusters of buildings crammed together as they got closer to the city. The blue Scotland Yard sedan Henry drove passed just south of the city and out to the west, beyond the city borders. “The building they use for customs is out past the airport,” Henry said. “With the number of items that come in and out of the country, they can’t keep everything right at the airport. It would get too busy.”

  Kat nodded, feeling the effects of jet lag starting to set in. Though it was the afternoon in England, it was still morning in Savannah and even earlier where she lived in California. She could tell that her body was starting to struggle with all the time changes. “Is there a chance we could stop and get some coffee on our way?”

  Henry glanced over at her and smiled, “Of course.” He lifted his eyes to the rearview mirror to look at Eli, who was sitting calmly in the back. He hadn’t said a word since I got into the car. “Eli, would you like a cup of coffee?”

  “Actually, I’m a tea drinker,” Eli said matter-of-factly.

  For the next few minutes, Eli and Henry bonded over their love of tea. They had a spirited discussion on loose tea versus bagged tea. They covered everything from the type of teapot to use to how long to let it steep. They lost Kat when they started talking about whether to use a tea cozy or not. Her mind had drifted elsewhere. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Van, letting him know that she was with Henry and Eli and had landed. A text came back right away, “Glad you are okay. Miss you. Call later.” Kat felt concerned. Why did Van want her to call? She sent him a text back, “Everything okay?” A few minutes went by, worry starting to creep up on her. Just as she started to take a deep breath to chase the fear away, her phone beeped. There was an attachment to a text. She opened it. She saw Jack and Van laying on the couch, upside down. She started to laugh. What they were doing up early, she didn’t know, but she was so grateful for the joy on their faces.

  Henry took them through a drive-through where he bought Kat a large coffee and Eli a large tea. The woman at the window, her hair pulled back severely, and a headset attached to her face, passed a bag of food to Henry, as well as a bottle of water. Henry passed Kat the bag, “Here, thought you might need a little pick me up.”

  Though she hadn’t really been paying attention, she was hungry. Starved, in fact. Eating on an airplane was always a scary proposition, no matter how hard they tried to make the food good. She opened the bag. Inside she saw three wrapped sandwiches. “What are these?”

  “A few egg sandwiches,” Henry said. “Didn’t you hear me order them?”

  “No,” Kat shook her head. “I’m sorry. I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”

  Kat handed a sandwich back to Eli, and one to Henry. She put the bag down by her feet and took a few bites thinking about the day to come. She hoped that within a few hours they would have more answers about the artwork that had disappeared from Hailey’s apartment. Why this seemed like such an important part of the story she didn’t know. She just had a hunch. The memory that ran through her head was of seeing Hailey’s parents in the parking lot of the police station, her mother so sad and weak from the shock that she could barely stand up. Hailey’s father was drawn and tired past his years. The artwork that had been shipped to London might hold the answer to why Hailey had been attacked in the first place. There had to be a bigger story here, she knew it. Images of a little boy stabbing a young woman kept cycling through her head. The question kept rattling through her head: Why would a ten-year-old boy stab a college student?

  16

  Carson was frustrated. There was no other way to describe how he was feeling. He sat in his office, leaned back in his chair, wondering what to do next. He had virtually no leads on Hailey Park’s murder. The facts were simple. Someone had taken a long hunting knife and stabbed Hailey Park in the
abdomen on her way home after class. That much he knew to be true. What didn’t seem right was that the set of fingerprints they had found on the knife belonged to a child. A young child. There was something so wrong and so devastating about that piece of information that Carson could barely process it.

  A flash of Julio’s smiling face crossed his mind as he tapped the end of a pen on his desk. While Carson wasn’t married, he had nieces and nephews he loved. That was one of the things that made Hailey’s murder so upsetting, so personal. Not only did he have a niece that was nearly her age, but Julio, his nephew, was exactly ten. Thinking that Julio could pick up a knife and stab someone was an impossible thought. They’d spent a lot of time together. They’d gone to a couple of baseball games just the two of them and he saw Julio and his sister at frequent family gatherings.

  Carson shook his head at no one in particular, trying to get the fog out of his brain. In the hecticness of the last two days, he’d been waiting to hear from the boy’s lawyer, but hadn’t heard anything. He picked up his phone, looking for the card that Alberto Soza had handed to him when he walked Miles out of the police station. Enough time had passed for them to get their strategy in order. He needed answers, and he needed them now. He dialed the phone and waited.

  “Soza, Clark and McGinnis, this is Marlene.”

  “Marlene, this is Detective Carson Martino from the Savannah Police Department. I’d like to speak to Alberto Soza.”

  “Certainly. I’m not sure he’s in his office. But I can put you through.”