Free The Jigsaw Puzzle by Jan Jones Page A

strokes.’
    Penny looked closely at the painting. ‘Do you mean this red-hulled one that has horizontal brushstrokes just like all the rest?’
    â€˜Exactly. The painting I was staring at while I was waiting to see Professor McGregor had vertical strokes. I remember commenting on it to …’ Leo’s face turned suddenly grey. He took a faltering step backwards.
    â€˜Leo! What’s the matter? Sit down, for goodness’ sake!’ Penny pulled Leo to one of the curved benches that Julian had allowed – at great cost to his artistic sensibilities and rather more financial cost to the project – to intrude into the gallery.
    â€˜Daniel,’ whispered Leo, gazing at her with haunted eyes. ‘My son Daniel. He was there with me. But how? I only see him once a month. That time is precious. Why would I have taken him on a work assignment? What if I …?’
    He looked so appalled that Penny gave him a sharp shake. ‘Stop that right now,’ she said. ‘I know what you’re thinking, but if Daniel had been in the car when you crashed it, someone would have told you by now. The reason for him being at Professor McGregor’s house will come back to you. Did you have to switch access days, perhaps? And couldn’t reschedule the interview?’
    â€˜Must have been that, I suppose,’ said Leo, the colour seeping back into his face. ‘Sorry.’
    â€˜No need to be sorry. You’ve had a shock. Why don’t you ring your ex and ask her?’
    â€˜I can’t. Kayleigh doesn’t know I’ve lost my memory. She’d never let me see Daniel at all if she thought I was a risk. I’m beginning to think she’s right.’
    Penny clasped his hand where it lay loosely on his lap. ‘Let’s get back to the kitchen and have that tea. I think you need it.’
    She set him to washing wine glasses for the opening. The trade press had been invited for the afternoon, followed by the official reception this evening. By the time Rosamund drifted in to say that she rather thought Alice had organised the caterers to bring their own glassware, Leo had recovered enough to focus on what he saw as the main issue, the forgery.
    â€˜I’m trying to picture the scene in my head,’ he said to Rosamund. ‘You are keeping Salthaven Heights running while the renovations are going on, Julian is striding importantly about, moving the workmen a fraction of an inch to the right or left … and then the paintings start arriving. Which one was first? It must have been an emotional moment.’
    Rosamund looked at him blankly, then turned her head to Penny. ‘I thought you said he was intelligent, sweetie?’
    Penny grinned. ‘He is. He thinks one of the paintings has been switched, so he’s trying to find out in his sneaky journalistic way when the break-ins occurred.’
    â€˜Well, why ever didn’t you just say so? Which painting? Mind you, it wouldn’t be the first time according to some of the old stories. Let me see, Alice brought in the first three, then a couple arrived by courier, Alice collected some more, then there was the first break-in …’
    â€˜Rosamund has all the arrivals logged in, Leo,’ said Penny. ‘I’m sure if you ask nicely you can see her work diary.’
    Two seconds later, she was finishing the washing up by herself.
    â€˜The journalists will be here soon.’
    Leo looked up from where he was scribbling notes at Rosamund’s desk. He got to his feet. ‘I’d better be off. Things to do.’
    Penny raised her brows. ‘You want me to put away all this stuff that you were doing quite happily until now? Why the sudden urge to be gone?’
    He hesitated. ‘The top architecture and art correspondents of the dailies are coming, right?’
    â€˜They’d better be. I’d hate to think we’d washed all those glasses for the