The hidden painting chapter 12

The next day, Cindy tries to work up the courage to tell Jasper about the painting. She wants to divulge information that she is certain he will kick her ass to the curb for. She begins to rehearse the speech she intends to deliver to him in her mind:

‘When I was a kid, I used to live here. Frank Devereaux is my father! He used to beat my mother on a regular basis, and, one stormy night, she took me out of my bed and we fled from him with haste!

She inherited a painting of Marie Antoinette, painted by a famous 18^th century painter and hid it in a false panel of the dresser that you are storing in the attic! She was keeping it there for financial comfort, as she thought she would have time to retrieve it before she vacated the property. Unfortunately, when she took me from my bed when I was only three years old, she was unable to take the painting with her as she was under a time constraint safety wise!

I was the reason you couldn’t find your keys the day we went to see Julius. I took them, and hid them under the bookcase in my office. The other night, when you and Melina were asleep, I used the keys to unlock the attic door and went up there to try and locate my family’s heirloom. The dresser happens to be the last piece of furniture that sits on the right hand side of the hatch. It is the one with the chipped, yellowing paint. I found the hidden compartment that was exactly where my mother told me it would be, on the side of the dresser, but when I got it open, the painting wasn’t there. Did you happen to find it?

To fulfil my mother’s dying wish would make me so happy! I’m not accusing you of stealing it or anything! I know that when you purchased the house, it technically became yours, but it would mean the world to me if you return it! It would mean financial stability for me! I would use it to buy a book store, with an apartment over it, and continue Mr Godfree’s good work in teaching illiterate adults how to read, focusing on those who fell through the cracks at school!

Yes, I’m asking you to return something that was once handed down from generation to generation in my family, but I will continue to help you complete the biography of Arthur Waldron in its stead! I don’t expect you to allow me do this, and realise it might be the end of our friendship, but my mother was adamant that I locate the painting and use it to set myself up for life!

You are a wealthy man, with expensive paintings on every wall in this house, and a simple painting probably doesn’t mean a lot to you, but it means the world to me! Please can you do the honourable thing and give it back to me? And if you don’t have it, do you know who does?

We have built trust over the past few weeks, and the last thing I want to do is ruin it, but that painting, and my mother’s dying wish means more to me than anything! Please aid my search in finding it! I’m sorry for deceiving you! Please try to understand!’

 

As Cindy rehearses the speech for the umpteenth time, there is a knock on her office door, its Jasper! She feels goosebumps develop on every inch of skin.

‘Are you free for a meeting?’ he asks her.

‘Sure!’ she answers, putting the speech into a compartment she created in her mind!

Cindy follows Jasper into his office, ‘the bible’ in hand, even though she has written every word, along with her thoughts in, the once difficult to understand, program he wrote.

Her heart begins to beat so fast that she can feel a vein in her neck pulsate! She sits in the leather chair opposite Jasper, and he begins to talk to her about Arthur Waldron’s home, which Julius informed them had been torn down years before.

Somehow, the conversation is led in the direction of gardens, Cindy finding herself describing a beautiful park, near the forgotten Mike’s apartment, where she liked to go to sit and read. ‘It has a cherry blossom tree, while, in bloom, produces the pinkest of pink flowers that fall like confetti in the wind. In spring, the daffodils in full bloom, sprout over almost every inch of the grass beside, what I consider to be ‘my spot’! I sit there, a towel under me and read for hours without being interrupted by Mike who thinks reading is the old fashioned way of watching a movie. I still cant understand how, or why, he never liked me reading, but I would retreat to ‘my spot’ every chance I got to get away from his constant badgering about the bills and how I owe him half of them! I still think that when we are finished our little project, no matter where I end up, I will continue to frequently go to that garden as its so peaceful, as few people know about it, and sit under the cherry blossom tree, its flowers sticking to my clothes as I read in peace. I spent hours there when I lived at Mikes! I keep thinking he didn’t even know about its existence so it was like a safe haven for me!’

Jasper being Jasper, makes Cindy jump as he leaps out of his office chair with haste and asks her to follow him. Regaining her composure, she complies with his wish.

Jasper puts on his coat, even though there is no need, and Cindy, not knowing where they are going, follows suit, her coat conveniently on a hook inside the heavy wooden front door. They get into his car, Cindy still unsure as to where exactly Jasper is taking her, and wonders does this road trip relate to the biography?

 

They drive for what seems like forever, Cindy going over her speech as she converses with Jasper about Arthur.

‘I find your notes in the margins so helpful!’ he divulges gratefully! He’s sporting his signature smile, a smile that melts Cindy’s heart each and every time she sees it!

‘Thank you,’ she says, ‘I just want to aid your writing as much as I can!’ in her mind she adds, ‘before you hear the real reason I’m here!’

 

As they pull up to what Cindy can only think to be a dilapidated ancient mansion, one which makes Jaspers seem like a postage stamp, she notices it has crumbling towers and reminds her of a castle that once was.

‘This is a place I like to come to,’ Jasper offers, ‘in fact it’s been my favourite place to come since I was a boy!’

‘Does this place have a name?’ Cindy asks with interest.

‘The locals call it ‘Fleming Place’! he answers.

As he gets out of the car, Cindy shrugs her shoulders and follows him. She can’t see why Jasper calls it his favourite place to come as she sees no entry, the door shut to keep out the commoners.

As they approach the house, Cindy thinks it to be a beautiful building but still doesn’t understand why a crumbling building would warrant the title, ‘favourite place’!

Jasper takes Cindy’s hand, giving her goosebumps but for an entirely different reason than why she had them before. He leads her towards the side of the castle and enters the building through a broken window. Cindy follows suit.

Inside what seems to once have been a well-kept residence, Cindy can’t get past the evidence of damp and mould. A stale smell enters her nostrils, one which she finds most unpleasant, but as Jasper tugs on her hand, she reminds herself that the rain probably plays a role in the scent as most of the windows are broken, making the building far from water tight!

Jasper leads her through room after room, the corridors long and dark, until, finally, she sees light. He leads her through yet another broken window, landing them in a courtyard in the heart of the building. Cindy shields her eyes from the sun, which beats down on them, with her free hand, and, as her eyes adjust, she finally recognises Jaspers enthusiasm!

As she stands on a beautiful, tiled courtyard, Cindy’s eyes dance from statue to statue that litters the overgrown space. She releases herself from Jaspers grasp, and moves towards a bed of roses, obviously growing wildly, but beautiful nonetheless! She opens her arms widely and twirls, feeling the sun on her exposed face. She now realises why Jasper loves this place and it is a real insight into the man she thought to just be a rich nerd.

The courtyard is massive, weeds growing from every gap of space between each of the tiles on the ground, to the once well-manicured lawn that sits in the middle of them. Cindy finds herself moving from the great expanse of blood red roses to the statues, which she looks closely at and sees that each of the six of them, whilst similar, are all different in one way or another. The daisy’s that sprout all over the waist high lawn, look like fresh snow! She walks towards them and brushes her hand over them, unable to comprehend how such a beautiful place can exist in such a dilapidated building.

‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’ Jasper asks, smiling widely at Cindys reaction to the place. She watches as he lays in the tall grass and begins to make snow angels, which she has only ever seen being made in actual snow. She follows his lead and lays down beside him, moving her arms and legs as he does, hearing the cracking sound the well-established grass makes as she does so. She moves her head in his direction and realises he is looking at her, his dimple showing.

Their hands touch, and Cindy feels the same lightening bolt go through her spine that she felt as they touched over the vinegar all that time ago. Convinced he feels it too, they lock eyes and stare at one another for what seems like an eternity.

‘Hey!’ she hears someone to her left shout.

‘It’s the security guard!’ Jasper announces, jumping to his feet, what seems to be his signature move, and encouraging Cindy to do the same.

‘This is private property!’ the heavyset security guard says, dust from a doughnut covering his cheek.

Cindy can see that the pair would outrun the security guard any day, as the man looks like he is allergic to exercise.

‘Sorry Sam!’ Jasper yells over his shoulder, grabbing Cindys hand once again, leading her through the myriad of corridors it takes them to manoeuvre through to get back to the broken window they crawl through once again in order to exit the mansion.

Cindy vows never to call Jaspers place a mansion ever again, as it is obviously just a big house in comparison to the building they flee from.

They enter Jaspers car, Cindy breathing heavily from the thrill of nearly being caught in one of the most idyllic places she has ever been. She notices Jaspers breath to be slightly laboured also and they can do nothing but laugh as ‘Sam’ exits the building, holding his side which Cindy presumes is a stitch, as they speed away.

The laughter in the car continues as Jasper drives. Cindy notices it not to be the most direct route to what she once perceived to be a mansion. As they pull up to the doughnut shop, she looks at him and the laughter starts all over again. As it comes to a natural stop, she gazes in Jasper’s direction and smiles.

‘How did you know his name?’ she asks the jubilant Jasper.

‘Well I have been going there since I was a boy!’ Jasper reminds her. She jumps once more as he exits the car, her hand on her chest. ‘I’ll be back in a minute!’ he announces and returns with a box full of different types of doughnuts, offering Cindy the pick of the litter so to speak.

She chooses the Nutella flavoured one, whilst Jasper picks the powdered one, making sure it smears his cheek as he eats. He dives into the large box of twelve sumptuous doughnuts several times before announcing that he can eat no more.

The pair look at each other and laughter fills the car again. Neither of them wiping the remnants of the delicious snack off their cheeks, both knowing they look like gluttonous pigs.

‘You should have seen your face!’ Jasper giggles, trying hard to lick what he can off his cheeks.

‘You should see your face now!’ Cindy retorts.

‘You’re no better!’ Jasper reminds her and she begins to wipe what’s left of the Nutella topping from her cheeks with her thumb.

Jasper dives into the box one last time, saying ‘there’s wipes in the glove box!’ as he masticates a jelly filled delight.

Cindy opens the glove box, and, low and behold, there are babies’ wet wipes sitting there on top of the manual of the expensive car that has a smearing of the different toppings on the gear stick and the steering wheel, as well as their faces. She leans over him, trying to clean the car up and feels like her breath is stuck as she does so. She feels the need to wipe Jasper’s mouth, locking eyes with him.

Jasper leans close to Cindy’s face as she cleans him up, to which she pulls away, reminding herself of Melina and wondering what she would think if she knew Cindy had almost kissed her man? She guesses that she would be pissed at her and Cindy, although deceiving Jasper as to why she continues to help him with the biography, couldn’t live with herself knowing herself to be ‘the other woman’!

 

When they finally get back, to the now only ‘big house’, Melina is sitting at the table drinking a Nespresso.

‘If only you knew!’ Cindy says to herself as the pair of trespassers join her, Jasper handing her the remainder of the doughnuts.

‘Thank you baby!’ Melina says with a furrowed brow, sliding the box to her side. ‘Where did you go?’ she asks, ‘you said we would be going shopping this afternoon! I had to go on my own!’

‘Well at least you had my credit card!’ Jasper answers. To Cindy it was a loaded statement, one which she rolls her eyes at!

‘What’s for dinner?’ Melina asks as she moves closer to Jasper and kisses him passionately.

Cindy, who feels a little uncomfortable having almost kissed Jasper not an hour before, leaves the room and returns to her office.

She only sat down when she hears a wrap on the door. Its Jasper. ‘We’re getting Chinese, and I would love for you to join us!’

Cindy smiles and nods in agreement. Jasper hands her the menu and before looking at it, Cindy says, ‘chicken satay with fried rice please!’ Jasper smiles and nods.

Cindy, who is elated from the outing sits at her desk whilst waiting for the food to arrive. When it does, she makes her way to the kitchen where Melina has only put out two plates. She obviously can see that Cindy is a threat and when Jasper enters the room, laden down with the food, he places it in the middle of the dining table and grabs an extra plate from the press. She sees Melina roll her eyes and sigh as she sits on the thick, wooden seat to Jaspers left.

‘What did you think of Fleming Place?’ Jasper asks, dripping sauce down his batman t shirt.

‘Where?’ Melina asks looking confused.

‘It was idyllic!’ Cindy answers, feeling honoured at the fact that Melina doesn’t know where Jaspers favourite place since he was a boy is.

‘What’s Fleming Place?’ Melina asks, looking as though she is deducing whether she needs to get worried about Cindy or not.

‘It’s my favourite place to go since I was a boy!’ Jasper explains. ‘I’m sure I told you about it!’

Cindy takes that to mean that Melina is either not listening to Jasper when he talks, or he simply didn’t tell her. She begins to feel as though she is on cloud nine, and after what turns out to be a lovely dinner, for her anyway, and excuses herself and retreats to her room where she replays the day in her head, sure that her speech about the painting can wait!