Portrait in Crime Read Free Page B

offer, but the fewer people, the easier any investigation is.”
    Bob’s smile faded.
    â€œPlease don’t take it as an insult,” Nancy said. “It’s just the way I work.”
    â€œI thought I could help you,” Bob said stiffly. “It’s not as though Nicholas had many friends. In fact, toward the end, I may have been his only one. He wasn’t a very nice person, you know.”
    â€œBut he was a good friend of yours?” Sasha asked doubtfully.
    â€œWell, we had a working relationship. Christopher is the gallery’s most important client, so I devoted a lot of my time to working with the Scotts.”
    â€œYou said he wasn’t a nice person,” Nancy prompted. “What exactly did you mean?”
    â€œI mean he was nasty. He was arrogant. He had a violent temper, and he treated people terribly.”
    Bob placed his arms on the desk and leaned across them. “In fact, Nicholas had so many enemies, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if someone had decided to get rid of him for good!”

Chapter

Three
    A RE YOU SAYING someone murdered Nicholas Scott?” Nancy asked.
    â€œUh, no, not really,” Bob said, suddenly defensive. “I only meant that there are people around who hated him enough to kill him.”
    Nancy studied Bob more carefully. He was acting very oddly. First he said Nicholas was a friend, then he changed his mind and told them Nicholas was a business associate and that he was nasty and selfish. Then he came out with the statement that Nicholas could have been murdered and then quickly reversed himself, saying it was an accident. It seemed as if Bob was trying to slander his friend without actually doing it. Nancy wasn’t sure why, especially since Nicholas’scharacter wasn’t the issue. It couldn’t have anything to do with Christopher’s disappearance.
    â€œSo there was nothing strange about his death?” she asked.
    â€œNo. The police looked into it very carefully,” Bob replied. “The investigation is closed. It was an accident.”
    Nancy decided not to question Bob further, and she and Sasha stood up to go. Bob escorted them back down the hall. “This is one of Scott’s recent paintings,” he said, gesturing toward the huge pink canvas hanging in the main room.
    As Nancy and Sasha stood studying the painting again, Bob asked suddenly, “I wonder if you could do me a favor when you check out the Scott place? One of Christopher’s paintings is missing.
    â€œIt’s called Vanity,” Bob continued. “It’s an oil that Chris did about six months ago of a woman sitting in front of a mirror, combing her hair. You can’t miss it; she’s a pretty girl with long red hair. It’s a very striking image.”
    â€œHow do you know it’s missing?” Sasha asked.
    â€œIt belongs to the gallery. We bought it, but Christopher had a hard time parting with it, so we let him keep it for a while. I was at the house when I was making arrangements for the funeral, and I noticed it wasn’t in its usual place.”
    Nancy looked skeptical. “Isn’t it odd for a painter to sell something but keep it in his house?”
    â€œWell, I think he was doing another portrait, ormaybe a whole series, and he needed the Vanity for reference,” Bob replied. “Christopher is a little odd, you know. A genius, but a little odd.”
    â€œWas there anything unusual about the painting?” Nancy asked. “Any reason why it would be missing?”
    Bob shook his head. “Nothing unusual. Well,” he corrected himself, “Christopher doesn’t usually paint portraits. He’s really a landscape painter, but I don’t think that could be a reason for the painting to be missing.”
    â€œWhat about the model?” Nancy asked. “Could he have given it to her?”
    â€œNah.” Bob dismissed the idea.