Delusional? Probably. But it had given her a purpose. A way to survive the thing that had shattered her family, even if her mother put on a brave face.
It had been a path forward, and now, it had collapsed beneath her feet.
~ ~ ~
Penelope pressed send on her last email of the day, glancing at the clock on her screen.
She fell back against her chair. She’d reread the same paragraph four times without comprehension. Another hour, and then she could head home.
Outside, the rain had picked up, now rattling in bursts against the glass, and the radiator beside her emitted a faint metallic ticking as it fought to keep the drafty office warm.
Lucia had texted her, and they’d set up the meeting with Francesca for this coming weekend. Penelope had created a folder with information and a list of questions to bring along.
At work, Montgomery turned out to be a dog with a bone, unable to let go of the humidity incident. Maybe Jules should have caused a different disturbance. But hindsight and all.
At least no one was any the wiser that theMadonnaon display was a forgery.
Still, all this proved to be a welcome distraction from her discoveries about her father and allowed her to procrastinate on her next move, or so she thought until Montgomery called her to her office.
“Now, I’m not making any accusations, Dr.Blackwell. I know your call to remove theMadonnafrom display was based on the humidity alarm and the goal to protect our inventory, but none of this adds up.”
“Maybe it was a glitch in the system. No measurement device or electronic gadget is free of failures and errors.”
“Perhaps, but why was only theMadonnaaffected? You’d think if it was a system glitch, more than one piece would show such discrepancies.”
“Has tech checked things out?” Penelope asked.
“Yes, but they also have no explanation, aside from the possibility of sabotage.”
“Sabotage? For what purpose?”
“I don’t know! To remove theMadonnafrom display?” Montgomery said.
“What would that accomplish?”
“I have no answers either. But Ms.Lewis continues to blow up my inbox, and I’ve even spoken to the previous director, and she has no memories of ever making such offers or holding the private viewing session Ms.Lewis describes.”
“That is odd indeed.”
“Dr.Blackwell, I’m sorry that I have to be so blunt here, but I need to know if I’m going to have a problem on my hands. Because if there’s more to this than I’ve been told, I’d rather hear it from you than from the board—or a journalist.”
Penelope remained motionless. “There isn’t. I did what I thought was best for the collection, for the Meridian. If that’s not enough, feel free to file a report.”
Oh, she hated this. Lying, yes, but here, it was more than that.
Shewasinvolved. She’d helped a criminal enterprise steal a precious painting, no matter the circumstance. Nausea coiled in her stomach, and she gritted her teeth.
“Is that all, Dr.Montgomery? I have work to do.”
A shadow seemed to flicker across Montgomery’s face. “Of course. It’s nothing personal, but I have to ask. It is my job to protect the Meridian, and if this becomes a headline scandal, both our jobs will be on the line.”
“I understand, and no offense taken.” She rose and left the office, feeling almost dizzy.
Who was she becoming in all this? A fraud, a criminal, someone blinded by… Was it worth it?
Back home, Lucia called, and Penelope closed her eyes as her body sank into her couch, relaxing for the first time all day.
“Hey you.”
