Knot My Sister's Keeper by Mary Marks

Author:Mary Marks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2018-05-17T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

Abstract paintings dominated the white walls of the Shiffer Gallery. One canvas five feet square featured a textured swirl of bright colors emanating from a dark center. On closer examination, it appeared the paint had been slathered on with a palette knife by an artist high on speed or low on lithium. The title on the label read Black Hole and the asking price was $125,000.

“Isn’t it marvelous? It’s a brand-new Pedro Ayala. We have him under exclusive contract. This won’t last long, so if you’re interested, you should grab it soon.”

We turned to look at the owner of the voice. A man in his early forties stood hands on hips, dark purple hair hanging over one eye in studied nonchalance. He wore a black turtleneck T-shirt with long sleeves and skinny black jeans tucked into soft leather half-boots.

Giselle took one step toward him and offered her hand. “We’re looking for Eliza Shiffer. I’m Giselle Cole and this is my sister, Martha Rose.”

The man raised his visible eyebrow and accepted her hand, gushing. “You’re Mrs. Cole? Oh my God. At last we finally meet. We’ve spoken on the phone many times.” He nodded once in my direction. “I actually knew your father. I’m Wolf Shiffer, Eliza’s son.”

Giselle reclaimed her hand. “Is she here?”

“Alas! My mother passed away five years ago and left the gallery to me. You must be here about Quinn’s paintings. I’d be honored to handle the sale. I have collectors who would pay top dollar to own one.”

Giselle held up her hand and gave a quick shake of her head. “Actually, we’re here to gather information about our father’s disappearance.”

Shiffer tilted his head. “What could I possibly tell you? Mother never talked about him, really. And I was only a kid when he went missing.”

The same alarm bell that went off in my head must have also clanged in Giselle’s, because we looked at each other at the same time. I knew she was wondering the same thing I was.

I placed my hand gently on Shiffer’s arm and spoke in a hushed tone. “I wonder if we might enlist your help, Wolf.” I leaned closer and whispered, “We believe Quinn was murdered. You may be able to help us solve the mystery.”

He raised his eyebrows and placed his hand on his chest. “Me? I don’t get it. Why don’t you go to the police?”

“Because right now, he’s just a thirty-two-year-old missing-persons case. But if we can collect enough new evidence, we might be able to compel the authorities to reopen the file. We’re not asking you to do anything dangerous. We just want you to check your records.”

He took a step backward and frowned. “Why?”

“For one thing, we’re trying to get a picture of Quinn’s finances,” I said. “Do you still have the sales records from when he was under contract?”

Shiffer nodded, disturbing the purple curtain of hair on his face. “Of course. Keeping track of provenance is crucial in our business. We preserve all those accounts.

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