Vicious Crimes by Michael Hambling

Author:Michael Hambling [HAMBLING, MICHAEL]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-12-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25: Penzance

Friday, Week 2

Ade set off early the next morning for Penzance. He’d wondered about driving along the north coast road that ran along the Bristol Channel through north Somerset and into Devon, then hugged the Atlantic coast as it approached Cornwall. The estimated arrival time to reach the tip of Cornwall made him think again. It might be picturesque, but it was also slow. So he made the decision to head south, inland across Exmoor then pick up the fast main road that stretched down the spine of the peninsula, dual-carriageway-based to beyond Newquay. He could do the trip in almost half the time. No contest when time was one of the main factors.

The road was quiet, permitting him to come up with a plan while he bowled along at a steady seventy. Penzance was his first, and main, destination. Benjamin Carlyon had lived there until he was thirty, using the rugged coastal landscapes as a basis for much of his work. He’d been a member of an art collective, and Ade had a couple of names of fellow members who might be able to supply some background. The key here would be to draw these people out into talking through their memories of Carlyon and his influences without giving away too much information himself. He couldn’t afford to let slip the suspicion that Carlyon might have tried his hand at art forgery.

If he had time, Ade also intended to visit a few members of the art community in St Ives, that sparkling town on the north Cornwall coast that had been home to many of the country’s top artists for years.

He reached Penzance mid-morning and grabbed a coffee before heading to the harbour area. He’d spent an hour the previous evening on the web looking for galleries owned or run by artists. The first turned out to be of no use at all, despite having been open for more than twenty years. The current owner was more of a businessperson than an artist and didn’t seem remotely interested in what Ade asked. He left feeling slightly despondent and turned the street corner to the second gallery he’d identified. The owner, a Suzi Poldaire, had started out on a painting career at about the same time as Carlyon. With a bit of luck, she might tell him all he needed to know.

Ade opened the low door from the street and walked inside to the sound of the tinkle of small brass bells above the entry. Two sets of eyes turned to look at him, then resumed the conversation that he’d interrupted.

That must be Suzi, he decided. Tight, curly hair and big glasses. The photo on her website had obviously been taken years earlier. The frizz had been a golden blonde back then, but the glasses were similar. She was wrapping a painting of some type for the man standing opposite her, across a counter, securing the bubble wrap with sticky tape.

Ade took the opportunity to wander around the room, looking at the artwork on display.

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