just so, she tapes a heavy, pre-cut sheet of Arches watercolor paper on to a small, horizontally-tilted drawing table. She selects her brushes and colors. She takes a deep breath and does some sort of Zen thing that involves closing her eyes and holding her hands out, palms up. Then she sets a timer for thirty minutes and gets to work. First a quick pencil sketch. That never takes more than a minute or two. Then she wets her brushes and begins. Sometimes the mistake happens right away, in the first passof the brush. More often the timer will ding and sheâll step back, look at the still-life arrangement, glance at her painted versionâalmost always lovely, in my opinionâand then calmly peel it away from the drawing board, tear it into strips and feed the pieces into a paper shredder.
Zzzt, zzzt, zzzt. Itâs gotten to be a sound that makes my teeth hurt.
Today is no different, except that the arrangement involves a folding carpenterâs ruler, a combination square and a brass bevel, donated to the cause by Danny Bechst, who once told me, in confidence, that Naomi was like van Gogh, except better looking and with two ears. Apparently van Gogh wrecked a lot of his paintings, too. A fact you wouldnât expect the average carpenter to know, but in Boston there are no average carpenters. Most of them seem to have Ph.D.âs. Anyhow, Danny isnât as appalled by the daily destruction as I am. Says he understands a quest for perfection and that one of these days when the bell dings, voilà , a flawless masterpiece.
As for Naomi, youâd think that failing on a daily basis would bother her, but she insists that the process is relaxing. Indeed, she always appears to be calm as she methodically destroys her creation. Maybe driving me crazy makes her feel serene. All part of the unwritten job description.
Today the shredder sounds about twenty minutes into the process, cuing me to enter the studio with the latest update on the investigation. Naomi, breaking down the still life, looks up, raises an eyebrow.
âDane called,â I tell her. âShuttle delayed out of Reagan National, but they should be wheels down at Logan by five. She has some interesting tidbits about possible evildoers, but nothing solid.â
âEvildoers?â
âDane does enjoy the evocative phrase.â
âWorth the trip, just to show the flag.â
âJackâs day has been more productive. He interviewed Jonny Bing, the venture capitalist, and formed, he says, âan opinion.â Declined to specify what opinion, exactly. Before that he made a quick run up to New Hampshire to talk to the foster care folks about Joseph Keenerâs childhood. Said he uncovered some âfacts of interest.â Heâll fill us in tonight.â
âOur first formal case dinner,â Naomi says. âIâm looking forward to it. Beasley always outdoes herself.â
âSpeaking of which, Jack is relaying a request from the operative who infiltrated QuantaGate. The Invisible Man? His name is Milton Bean and he wants to make his report in person this evening.â
âOh? Why?â
âApparently, while some men dream of virgins awaiting them in heaven, or winning the Powerball, Milton Bean dreams of having dinner with Naomi Nantz.â
âAh.â
âDecision, please, so I can inform Beasley if necessary.â
âHeâs freelanced for us, what, four times?â
âIf you know, and you always do, why do you ask?â
As usual Naomi ignores my wisecracks. âIssue him an invitation. Iâm curious to see what the Invisible Man looks like.â
I bow and scrape.
Chapter Fifteen
Mrs. Beasley Presents
yves Cuilleron Condrieu, Les Chaillets 2000
Fresh Beet Carpaccio with Shivered Scallions
Shrimp & Shiitake Sausage
Broiled Swordfish with Potato Dauphin Puree
Honeyed Heart of Endive Salad
Vanilla Ice Cream with Ginger Sauce
T eddy, having scanned a folded menu
Serenity King, Pepper Pace, Aliyah Burke, Erosa Knowles, Latrivia Nelson, Tianna Laveen, Bridget Midway, Yvette Hines
Christine d'Abo
Willa Sibert Cather
Rue Allyn
Viola Grace
Kathleen Ernst
Annabel Joseph
Alfy Dade
CJ Whrite
Samantha-Ellen Bound