“Lousy reproduction.”
“Only on my machine. Besides, the interesting thing isn’t the art, it’s the prices.”
She bent over and tilted the screen. Immediately the picture sharpened. Ruby Marsh was the name of the painting. The scene was of thrusting mountains, clean blue sky, and a marshy valley turned gold with autumn. The dimensions of the canvas were huge, definitely museum size.
The price was six to eight million dollars.
Zach watched Jill’s eyes widen and knew that she’d reached the bottom line.
“That painting is one of the centerpieces of the Las Vegas Auction of Fine Western Art,” he said.
“Wow.”
“That’s one word for it. Worthington has pulled out all the stops on this one. Russell, Remington, Howard Terpning, Joseph Sharp, Blumenschein. If you believe the hype, this will be some of the best Western art in a generation to go under the gavel.”
“Does Whatshisname-the big Dunstan collector-own this?” she asked, pointing to the painting called Ruby Marsh.
“Talbert Crawford?”
“Yes.”
“No, this belongs to Dunstan’s son.”
“The one who savaged Waverly-Benet’s reputation?”
“The same,” Zach said.
“The one who said my paintings were frauds?”
“Yeah.”
“Jerk,” she said.
“Probably.” Zach leaned over her and scrolled back through some Web pages on the computer. “Take a look at this.”
Jill sat at the table, angled the computer screen again, and began reading an article with a Carson City logo and yesterday’s date.
Leading figures in the State’s art community are expected to announce major donations to the collection of paintings that will be showcased in a new wing of the Museum of Nevada and the West in Carson City.
Announcements planned for later in the week will involve contributions by such well-known collectors as Tal Crawford, prominent investor and owner of a large ranch east of the Carson Valley.
Crawford has been engaged in discussions with state arts officials about his plans to contribute a number of major works to the museum.
A spokesman for Crawford would not confirm specific donations but did acknowledge that the collector has accumulated “probably the biggest collection of Western art in the state, particularly a large number of works by Thomas Dunstan, who is regarded as one of the most important landscape painters in the West.
“Mr. Crawford has always prided himself on sharing these important works with the rest of the world,” the spokesman said.
Sources in the governor’s office said they hope to have an announcement regarding the exact donation by next week.
“So that’s what Frost meant by Bigfoot,” Jill said, looking at Zach.
“Saturday. That’s the auction, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Day after tomorrow,” he agreed absently, his mind on Crawford, Western paintings, politics, and auctions.
“I keep thinking that what Frost was trying to tell us had something to do with the paintings.”
“A thumbs-up for authenticity?”
She frowned. “Maybe. Or maybe it had to do with the auction itself. Got any more coffee?”
“I’ve been meaning to speak to you about your caffeine habit,” Zach said, reaching for the pot.
“Yeah, I know. I really should drink more coffee. Beginning now.” She held out her empty mug.
Smiling, Zach refilled it. “I don’t think Frost gave me a thumbs-up for the authenticity of the paintings.”
“Why?”
“As long as I knew Frost, he never used that particular gesture. He’d spent too much time in Australia, where it means something entirely different.”
“Really? What?”
“Up your arse.”
Jill sputtered, swallowed hard, and cleared her throat. “I’d like a spew alert when I’m having morning coffee.”
Zach smiled, kissed her slowly, and rubbed his bristly chin. “I’ll let you drink in peace. I’m going to call Faroe and have him put something on research’s pile. Then I’m going to do what I should have yesterday.”
“What?”
“Shave.”
“Itchy?” she asked.
“How’d you guess?”
“Guys on the Colorado always complain about grow-out itch. But not as much as they whine about monkey butt.”
He paused before he took a final drink of coffee. “Monkey butt?”
“You ever been to the zoo and seen the butts on female baboons when they’re in heat?”
He nodded warily.
“You sit on a rowing bench in a swimsuit, rubbing back and forth as you go down the river, getting doused with gritty water at the rapids,” she said, “and pretty soon you have monkey butt.”
“Bright red and tender as hell?”
She nodded.
“Shaving doesn’t help?”
She cringed. “Don’t even think it.”
“Okay. I’ll go shave my monkey face.” Zach started to leave, then stopped when he saw Jill eyeing his computer. “If you want to play, use Frost’s computer. Mine has some tiger traps built in.”
“Tiger traps and monkey butt. We’re quite the pair.”
Zach’s whiskey-colored eyes met hers. He smiled, but his eyes were very serious. “Yeah, we are.”
SEPTEMBER 16
9:10 A.M.
Lane Silva Faroe watched his tiny baby sister sleeping in the antique cradle next to a bank of high-tech computers. His father was talking in one phone, had a second on hold, and was participating in a conference with Ambassador Steele via computer.
His mother was up to her ears in legal texts at a nearby desk. Something about the rights of foreigners in Zimbabwe. Or maybe it was Venezuela.
And every time his little sister twitched, his parents looked at her.
Must be some kind of built-in parental radar, Lane decided.
As much as he enjoyed having a new baby sister, he was getting restless. With everyone around him so overwhelmed by work, he felt useless.
Like a baby.
Faroe hung up one phone, picked up the other, listened, and said, “I’ll add it to the pile at Research, Zach. But since it isn’t a code three, don’t hold your breath.” He hung up and made a note.
“Dad?” Lane said.
“Yeah?” Faroe answered without looking away from his notepad.
“I’m done with my homework, I’ve wrapped up my special project, and I want to help with the Jill Breck, uh, project.”
“How?”
“Well, I heard you telling Zach that Research was jammed up and he’d have to get in line unless it was a balls-to-the-wall code three.”
Faroe’s mouth curved in a small smile. “Did I say that? Hope little Annalise was asleep.”
“All she does is sleep and poop. And eat.”
“Living is a full-time job for a baby.”
“I could swarm Zach’s topic.”
Faroe blinked and turned toward his son. Like him, Lane was long and lanky. Unlike him, Lane hadn’t grown into his frame.
Or his patience.
“Run that by me again in English,” Faroe said.
“Whatever Zach wants to find out about is a topic,” Lane said with exaggerated patience. “Swarming is getting together with a bunch of other key jockeys and researching a topic using all the different search engines.”
“Swarming.”
“Yeah. Can I? All I need is some search words.”
“Give it to him,” Grace said without looking up from the legal reference she was reading. “He wants to help the lady who saved his life.”
Faroe checked the computer screen again. Nothing new. He looked at the notes he’d taken from Zach, then ripped off the piece of paper and handed it to his son.
“Swarm on,” Faroe said.
Lane snatched the piece of paper and ran back to his room, mentally listing the online buddies he could get to help him. He knew five for sure. And each of them probably knew four or five.