Page 79 of House of Malice
Alecto lowered her eyes for a moment. Suddenly, she felt uneasy being next to this man who seemed to read her soul better than she could.
“Art is a great way to get to know people,” he said. “And an even better way to get to know ourselves.”
Alecto nodded. “I think I agree with you.”
Jolene returned from the information desk then. “There isn’t anyone there! Oh, hello again.”
Alecto placed a hand on Jolene’s shoulder. “This is my colleague from Venefica’s library. We work together closely, and we decided to take the art class together.”
The silver fox smiled at Jolene, who had enough sense to play along with Alecto.
“I’m sorry if you were looking for the art dealer,” the silver fox said. “I’m afraid today it is only me. Are you looking to buy something?”
Jolene and Alecto exchanged a glance.
“As you know, we work at the library,” Jolene said. “And so we are trying to organize a little expo, showcasing the works of all the prominent students from Venefica, whether they are authors, actors, or painters.”
“Yes, and we thought we might be able to find some more information on the artists who had their art displayed at this gallery,” Alecto added. “Could you help us with the names and maybe even show us some of the art?”
“I’d love to, absolutely,” the silver fox said. “If you follow me to the back room, I’ll be able to show you the records I keep, and we can see if there is any artwork still left somewhere in the storage.”
The silver fox led them through the gallery to the back.
“Will you want to take some of the artwork with you?” he asked over his shoulder, holding the door open for them.
Alecto and Jolene pretended to think on it. “I’m not sure. Maybe if you have some old artwork that’s not for sale at the moment. We wouldn’t want to disturb your business.”
“Oh, that wouldn’t be a disruption,” the silver fox said. “But let me see what I can find. I’m sure there is some old artwork somewhere.”
He led them down the corridor into the storeroom. The air inside was cool, and it was filled with art leaning against walls and various boxes, covered with white sheets.
On their left, a desk was perched against the wall. An old leather chair was pushed next to it, and there was a pile of papers and books stacked on top of the desk.
“Excuse the mess,” the silver fox said with an apologetic smile. “This is usually only for the staff, and believe it or not, this is considered organized.”
Alecto laughed. “Don’t worry. We know better than anyone that organization looks different for everyone. As long as it works.”
Jolene jabbed her on the side of her ribs and rolled her eyes. Alecto just shrugged.
I’m just playing along, she mouthed to Jolene.
You’re an actress for a reason, Jolene mouthed back with a smirk.
Now it was Alecto’s turn to roll her eyes.
“Here it is,” silver fox said, opening a large book on his desk. “I keep records of every single artist we showcase and their artwork. We have had quite a few names from Venefica Academy.”
Alecto and Jolene joined him, looking at the names scribbled in the book.
“May I?” Alecto asked, reaching a hand towards the book.
“Be my guest.” The silver fox pushed the book towards her.
While Alecto looked at the records, looking for the Dean’s name, Jolene chitchatted with the silver fox, keeping him occupied.
Finally, Alecto found the records from the 1950s with Gondalez’s name, as well as a few other names she didn’t recognize but who were noted down as Venefica’s students.
“Oh, how fascinating,” Alecto said, pointing a finger at the book. She looked up from the page, trying to appear as surprised as possible. “I see the name of our Dean. His art was displayed here, in this gallery?”
