The hidden painting chapter 6

When Jasper opens the door, his teeth whiter than ever, I notice his superman t shirt and smile because it makes me realise that this was a man who was obviously talented or he wouldn’t be writing the biography, but he was a nerd too. I follow him to the study, my smile staying with me the whole way. He sits in the big chair behind the desk and I once again plant my ass on the brown leather seat opposite.

‘Have you ever worked as a researcher before Cindy?’ he asks, his eyes bright and full of wonderment.

‘No,’ I admit, ‘and I don’t know much about Arthur Waldron either!’

He rubs his cleanly shaven chin with his thumb and fore finger, as if pondering something. I am fully prepared for him to send me packing, but instead he opens the top drawer of the desk and hands me, what I believe to be, a brand spanking new laptop. I take it tentatively as he abruptly springs to his feet and takes the chair beside me.

‘I know I don’t have my encyclopaedia’s in order, or if he’d be even in them, so I have written a program which I loaded onto this computer to keep you up to date and let you know where my heads at!’

I nod. I don’t own a computer myself, but I used them in Mr Godfree’s store and am well able to navigate my way around one.

‘This is yours to keep!’ he announces, ‘but its hooked up to a server so I can see your research and you can see mine.’

‘Got it!’ my smile growing ever wider as I rub my hands together, ready to get stuck in.

Jasper shows me his system for organising his research notes. As he’s explaining it, I can’t help but think how complicated it looks. It’s almost intimidating…almost. I hear Mike’s criticising, droning voice resonating in the back of my mind. I know I’m a quick study, I’ve proved it over the years! I never would have guessed I could balance the books for Mr Godfree, but once I stood over his shoulder as he was doing it a few times, I learned that there was a knack to it.

As Jasper goes over the program again, his phone rings and he steps out to answer it. I start to tinker with the laptop and just as I feel I have a handle on the program, he re-enters the room. I can’t help but notice that he doesn’t have a lot of research done on the great Arthur Waldron, and look up at him as he sits back on his thrown opposite me.

‘I know, I know!’ he starts as though he is reading my mind. ‘I only got the gig a couple of weeks ago and as you now know, you will be a true asset to the cause!’

I nod graciously. ‘Where exactly have you been looking for information?’

‘I’ve just been tinkering here and there on Wikipedia,’ he admits. ‘Being honest, I think I’m in over my head. That’s why I need you! I need you to pull up every article and summarise his books and, well, be my eyes and ears!’ He shows off his pearly whites and asks, ‘are you up for the challenge?’

I nod my head emphatically and smile at him some more. This project will have me here in the big house for what looks to be weeks ahead, so I figure that’s ample time to retrieve the painting!

 

Jasper stands up, slowly this time, and asks, ‘do you want to see your office?’

‘My office?’ I ask wide eyed.

‘You don’t think I’m going to leave you high and dry without a space to do your research now, do you?’ he smiles and winks at me.

He begins to exit his office and I quickly close the laptop, pick it up, and follow him. As he brings me down the corridor, another place that is littered with books, I remember that my childhood playroom was in this direction. He opens the door, its hinges squeaking as he pushes it with relative ease. I’m transported back thirty years, entering the same room that was occupied by my massive dolls house I had gotten for the last Christmas with my father. In its stead is a very conservative desk and swivel office chair, and not a book in sight.

‘I moved everything out so you would be able to use the space as you wish!’ Jasper says extending his arm. ‘Feel free to litter it with whatever you desire, but on one condition. You have to promise not to put up a poster of a cat with an inspirational saying!’

I look at him, puzzled.

‘I hate cats!’ he informs me. ‘I used to have one you see, and the little git was happier with who I thought to be my best friend, Robbie, my childhood friend who lived next door!’

I nodded, confused at what he was trying to tell me.

‘I used to feed him regular cat food, but Robbie enticed him away with tuna! He used to eat my cat food and then go over to Robbie’s to wash it down with fancy tuna! Eventually, he stopped coming to mine at all. I wasn’t aware of what Robbie did, that was until I was in the process of putting up lost cat posters all over town, and to my disgust, I saw Mr pickles being stroked by Robbie through his living room window!’

Jasper bowed his head. ‘To this day, I can’t get over the conniving little bastards’ actions!’

‘Robbie’s?’

‘No!’ Jasper said a little too quickly, ‘Mr Pickles!’

From his answer, I guessed that Robbie wasn’t his best friend for long after the cat chose him over Jasper!

‘So,’ Jasper continued, ‘like I said you can use this space as your own to do whatever you need to do in it!’

He handed me a key to the room, alongside a cheque for $2,500. I looked at him, my brow furrowed, and then at the cheque, and back again.

‘Its for you to buy furniture for the place! I didn’t know what sort of pull-out couch you wanted, so I’m letting you purchase it yourself!’

‘Pull out couch?’ I asked him completely confused.

‘Yea.’ Jasper answered. ‘You may end up working into the night, and I want you to have somewhere you can rest your head on to get twenty winks!’

I took the cheque and the key and thanked him, never thinking this to be a twenty-four-hour job.

He closed the squeaky door, opening it again before the latch clicked. ‘I’m going to get some WD40 for that today in the hardware shop!’

I just nodded, still staring at the check.

‘There’s a furniture store just outside the town beside the gas station!’ he smiled sincerely and closed the squeaky door.

When I hear the clunk of the lock closing behind him, I sit on the black swivel office chair, realising that it reclined slightly, and began to think of all the ways this cheque could help my little situation with Mike. ‘I could add this to some of the money mom left me and he would be out of my life forever!’ I quickly shake my head, ‘no!’ Instead, I open the squeaky door and close it behind me, trying the key in the lock for the first time. Unbeknownst to myself, I’m smiling.

As I walk through the winding corridors of the mansion, ready to see how much a pull out couch is in this town, I bump into Jasper. He’s holding up another two keys on a Minnie Mouse keyring.

‘I forgot to give you the keys to the house!’ he smiles, his pearly whites making me blush.

I tentatively take them.

‘Now you can come and go as you please!’ he smiles even wider.

‘Thank you!’ is all I can manage, trying to hide the fact that I’m blushing. ‘I’m just on my way to get that pull-out couch!’ I feel the need to tell him, to which he nods.

‘I really think that’s the best thing you should do right now! After all, who knows what you might uncover later today and kick yourself when you find that Arthur Waldron is utterly fascinating!’

I nod at him, a nod that he reciprocates as I add my office key to the whimsical keychain. ‘Thank you!’ I say as he begins to walk away.

‘You’re welcome!’ he shouts over his shoulder.

I look at my three new keys, excited to dig my way through the life of Arthur Waldron, and agree with Jasper silently that he might prove himself to be like a good book, a real page turner.

I exit the mansion and get into my car which is parked across the street. I sit there for a few minutes before turning the engine over, wondering if I have died and gone to heaven. Not only do I have an unexpected job, one where I might be able to fulfil moms last wishes, but I have a boss who is devastatingly handsome and generous.

 

I arrive back, three hours later, after buying a pull-out couch, a tub chair and a set of shelves, all of which will be delivered by the end of business hours, and can’t help but think to myself, ‘should I give Jasper back what’s left of the cheque he gave me?’ My conscience is telling me yes, but I’m also thinking that I might need more for the room that I could spend the money on as time passes. I deliberate in my car and decide to do the only thing that I could make me morally live with myself, I’m giving him back the balance!

I cross the road, having parked my car in the same spot I drove it from, take the duffel bag from the back seat, and use my key for the first time in the front door. I cant help but feel like I’m an imposter, but calm myself when I realise Jasper wouldn’t have given me the key if he didn’t want me to use it!

I meander through the hallways and knock on the door to his office.

‘Its open!’ he shouts.

I leave the duffle bag just outside the door and let myself in to give him the receipt and the invoice, along with the $850 that’s left from what he had given me. I can see that he looks confused.

‘I just thought you might want to know what I bought, and how much it all came to, and give you back the change!’ I blurt out quickly.

He holds his hands in the air and shakes his head. ‘You never know what you might need in the future!’ he says with gusto. ‘I find that it’s always good to have a kitty for future purposes, so you can keep the change in case, down the line, you find yourself needing something to aid you in your research. The last thing I want is for you to have to pay for something out of your own pocket. It might just be safety pins, but I can’t have an employee who I think is buying those safety pins out of their own pocket! It would be a great form of peace of mind if you were to keep the rest for those safety pins!’

‘Will you take the invoice at least?’ I ask him. ‘I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage!’

‘To be honest Cindy,’ he starts, ‘I am absolutely shitting money! This house,’ he waves his hands in the air, ‘was a gift I got for my last birthday, and just so we’re on the same page, I’m a millionaire!’

I look at him blankly. ‘Why would he tell me that?’ I wonder curiously.

‘Don’t worry, your pay-check will echo that!’ he offers.

We had never talked about money before. I am just happy to have a job! I smile at him, and we lock eyes. I feel a spark ignite in the pit of my stomach and just nod before turning and closing his office door behind me. I pick up the duffle bag and walk down the corridor until I reach my office. I let myself in and shove the duffle bag under the desk. A pang of guilt hits me as I put the $850 in the top desk drawer and look around me. I have hit the jackpot here, so why do I feel so guilty about retrieving something that was my mothers to begin with. I sit back on in the swivel chair and remind myself of my mom’s dying wish.

I weigh up the pros and the cons of retrieving the painting and, after a big discussion with myself, grab the duffel bag and make my way upstairs.

 

I look at the ceiling as I wander around what I thought to be a vacant space, only to be met by a beautiful, blonde haired woman, who asks me, ‘can I help you?’

‘I, I, I,’ I realise I’m stammering, trying to give an excuse as to why I am up there. ‘I’m looking for the bathroom,’ I say, quickly realising that it’s a lame excuse seeing as there are two downstairs.

‘Oh,’ the woman replies looking confused. ‘Oh, you must be the new hire! Cindy, isn’t it?’

I smile and nod my head.

‘You’re the new research assistant!’ she points to me with the same straight, pearly white grin as Jasper.

I nod again.

She extends a hand, ‘I’m Sarah.’

I reluctantly take it and smile, trying not to show my crooked teeth.

‘I was just about to make a sandwich for me and Jasper!’ she says, ‘would you like to join us?

With the cogs in my mind turning, thinking that Sarah must be Jasper’s wife! I hadn’t noticed in the furniture shop, but my stomach was grumbling after skipping breakfast because the motel doesn’t offer it and I hadn’t time to find somewhere before I started this morning.

‘That would be lovely!’ I reply.

 

At lunch, the three of us all have a toasted ham and cheese sandwich in front of us, which happens to be my all time favourite, as my mother always made me one when I arrived home from school before she went to her second job.

We end up talking about books, something the three of us seem to have in common. Sarah is genuinely interested in the work I was doing for the illiterate in the bookshop, and seemed to be openly frustrated at the fact that most people don’t value books anymore.

‘They go around with a kindle of all things, a thin piece of technology, where all they do is swipe to get to the next page. Don’t they realise what the satisfaction of physically turning a page, and the feel of the grainy paper between your fingers fulfils?’

‘I have the exact same opinion!’ I say, looking her dead in the eye, genuinely liking her already.

With the sandwiches gone, Sarah looks up at the clock and gasps. ‘Jasper,’ she says, panic in her voice. ‘We were supposed to have left fifteen minutes ago!’

‘What?’ Jasper jumps up from his chair. He seems to do that a lot, and each time it makes me jump. I guess it’s something I’m going to have to get used to!

‘Where are your bags?’ he asks.

‘In the bedroom!’ she replies, beginning to clear the table by putting the dishes in the sink.

Jasper disappears for a minute. Then I hear the clunk, clunk, clunk, of what is undeniably a suitcase being dragged down the stairs.

‘Isn’t my brother a peach?’ Sarah asks.

I try to let out a silent sigh of relief, ‘her brother!’ I say to myself. ‘Of course!’

‘I just flew into town for a week!’ she offers, ‘I like to make sure he’s doing ok and looking after himself!’

I nod, indicating my understanding.

‘He’s my twin you see, so we’ve always been super close!’

I hear from the hallway, ‘c’mon sis, or you’ll miss your plane!’ coming from a panicking Jasper.

Sarah quickly washes her hands. ‘It’s been so nice meeting you Cindy!’ she says as she dries them in the towel that lay on the draining board and leans in to give me a hug.

Who am I to stop her? If he’s bringing her to the airport, it gives me at least an hour alone in the house to try to find the opening to the attic and look for the painting.

‘Sarah!’ Jasper barks. ‘Time’s a ticking!’

We each step back from the embrace and smile at one another. She points in the direction of the hall, and I just nod.

The second the door slams behind the twins, I run upstairs, grinning, and start where I finished looking for the opening to the attic!