The Art of Murder Page 3

  ‘Sounds good,’ the Captain said. ‘I’ll take a wander around the room. I’ll ask around, too. If I don’t see him in the next five minutes or so, I’ll go back and see if Beverly had any luck getting in touch with him.’

  ‘I’ll meet you there,’ Penner said, walking off to the washroom.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  ‘Okay, thanks,’ Penner said to the man working the coat check. ‘If you do see him, can you let him know his wife is looking for him?’

  ‘Will do, ma’am.’

  Penner looked around the crowded room, trying to see if she could make out Mark in the sea of similar faces. All the men were dressed in suits and ties, so no one really stood out. She saw the Captain heading back towards the exhibit room. ‘Excuse me,’ she said, trying to make her way through the crowd, nearly spilling a man’s beer as she bumped his arm. ‘Sorry about that,’ she apologized, hurrying to catch up with the Captain.

  ‘Any luck?’ she asked. The Captain paused as he was opening the door.

  ‘Nothing,’ replied the Captain, holding the door for Penner. ‘No one has seen him.’

  ‘Coat check guy hadn’t seen him either, but he only got on shift fifteen minutes ago. It’s possible Mark checked his coat with whomever was working before him,’ said Penner as she walked in ahead of the Captain. In the centre of the room, Beverly was talking with a young man.

  ‘Did you find him?’ she asked, as Penner and the Captain approached. ‘He didn’t answer his phone when I tried him.’

  ‘No,’ the Captain said, picking his glass off the pedestal and taking a sip of his scotch. ‘No one has seen him yet.’

  ‘This is definitely not like him. He’d better have a damn good excuse when he finally gets here,’ Beverly said. ‘This is Chris, Mark’s assistant,’ she added, introducing the young man she was talking with to Penner and the Captain. ‘So, when was the last time you saw Mark?’ she asked, turning to Chris.

  ‘This morning—before he left for his speaking engagement at the high school,’ Chris said, adjusting his cartoon tie.

  ‘What time did you leave the office?’ Beverly asked.

  ‘Around two, I think,’ said Chris. ‘After Mark left, I went down and picked up his suit at the dry cleaners. Then I had a bite to eat in the lobby. When I was done, I headed back upstairs, put the suit in Mark’s office and finished up a couple of things before heading out.’

  ‘Do you know when Mark was supposed to be back in the office?’ the Captain asked.

  ‘Well, the thing at the school should have been done by twelve thirty. As far as I know, he was planning on coming right back, but you know Mark. He likes to stop and talk to people whenever he gets a chance, so I wasn’t expecting him back right away. I think he said he’d be back by two.’

  ‘Can we call and get the commissionaire at the building to go up and see if he’s in his office? Maybe he fell asleep on his couch. Wouldn’t be the first time,’ Beverly said to Chris.

  ‘It’s after six on a week day. Usually, there’s only one or two guys there at this time, and they don’t like leaving the main desk in case anyone comes to get into the building,’ Chris said.

  ‘Why don’t I get a patrol officer to swing by,’ the Captain suggested. ‘Someone should be in the area. Should be able to get there pretty quick.’

  ‘Would you mind? I feel silly, but he really should have been here by now,’ Beverly said, checking her phone in the hope that Mark had texted.

  ‘No problem at all,’ the Captain assured her, taking his phone out of his jacket pocket. He opened his address book and scrolled through to the number for dispatch. He held the phone to his ear and waited.

  ‘Dispatch. Constable Seguin.’

  ‘Hey Ben, it’s the Captain. How are things?’

  ‘Evening, sir. Pretty quiet, but it’s still early. What can I do for you?’

  ‘Can you send someone over to 132 O’Connor? Have them go check Mark Williams’ office to see if he’s there. They’ll probably have to check in with security to be allowed up. Any problems, have them call my cell directly.’

  ‘Will do, sir. Anything else?’

  ‘No, that’s all. Thanks.’ The Captain disconnected the call. ‘Alright, they’ll send someone right over to have a look.’

  ‘Thank you for doing that,’ Beverly said. ‘Do you think I should get things started or wait a bit and see if he shows up?’

  ‘People seemed like they were having a good time when I was wandering around,’ the Captain said. ‘Why don’t you go socialize and give it a little bit. If he’s not here in the next twenty minutes, or if people look like they’re getting impatient, you can open up the room then. That will give my guy a bit of time to check his office.’

  ‘Sure, sounds good to me,’ Beverly said, taking a sip of her drink. ‘Feel free to keep looking at the art if you’d like.’

  ‘I think I’ll go grab another scotch first. It’s pretty rare that I get a chance to go out these days,’ said the Captain.

  ‘I know you’re my boss and all, but try not to drink too much,’ Penner said, following the Captain to the door. ‘This is my first date in years. I really don’t want to have to deal with a drunk at the end of the night.’

  ‘No guarantees,’ the Captain said with a wink. ‘Let’s go mingle, shall we?’

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ‘Car twenty-six is on site.’ Constable Curry put the radio back in its holder and exited his patrol car. He hunched his shoulders and pulled up his collar as a gust of wind blew snow down the back of his neck. He walked up to the front of the office building and tried the door. Locked. He looked around and saw a sign that read: Push button for after hours entrance. He pushed the button and peered in the window. He could see a security guard sitting at a desk. He looked up from his computer at the sound of the buzzer. Constable Curry saw the guard reach over and there was a clicking sound from the door. He pulled the handle again. This time the door swung open. Stamping the snow off his feet, he entered the lobby, grateful to be out of the wind and snow.

  ‘Can I help you?’ the security guard asked.

  ‘Evening. I’m here to do a wellness check on a Mr. Mark Williams.’

  ‘A wellness check?’ the guard asked.

  ‘Just want to see if he’s in his office. Can I just head up, or do I need to sign in or something?’ Constable Curry asked.

  ‘Uh, yeah. I’ll just need a piece of I.D., and you can head up,’ the guard said, grabbing a pen and a sheet of paper. Constable Curry handed him his licence. ‘Thanks.’ After filling in some information, he turned the sheet to Constable Curry. ‘Just sign here,’ he said, handing over a pen. ‘Perfect. Elevator is just around to the right. Mr. Williams’ office is on the fourteenth floor. Once you get out of the elevator, turn left, third door on the right.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Constable Curry said, putting his licence back in his wallet. He walked over to the elevator bay, his boots squeaking on the freshly waxed floor. He pushed the up button and waited. A bell chimed and the light above the elevator in front of him lit up. The door opened and he got in, turned around and pressed the button for the fourteenth floor. As the door closed, he unzipped his jacket and shook the last bit of snow from his collar.

  When the door opened, he stepped into the hallway, causing the overhead lights to turn on. ‘Motion sensor,’ he thought as he turned to his left and walked down the hall. ‘If the lights are off, no one’s been moving up here for a while.’ On the wall beside the third door was a plaque. Mark Williams – Member of Parliament. He knocked on the door and listened. Nothing. He tried the handle and the door swung open into the room.

  ‘Police,’ he called out as he stepped into the dark room, again causing the overhead lights to turn on. ‘Mr. Williams? Are you here?’ He stepped further into the room. Laying over the arm of a sofa was a dry cleaning bag that had a note taped to it. “Heading out a bit early. See you at 6. Chris.” At the back of an adjoining room was a large wooden table with a high-backed leather
chair. He walked around the table and looked under it. Just a pair of dress shoes. He took his notepad out of his inner jacket pocket and flipped it open to the last page that had writing on. He looked at the phone number he had scribbled down, pulled out his phone and dialed.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Captain? It’s Constable Curry. I was asked to give you a call when I was done at Mr. Williams’ office.’

  ‘So, is he there by any chance?’

  ‘No, sir. His office is empty. I’m just walking over to check the washrooms on this floor. I’ll see if he’s in there,’ Constable Curry said, closing the office door and walking down the hallway.

  ‘Did you happen to see a suit in his office?’

  ‘There was one in a dry cleaning bag, sir.’ He opened the washroom door, stepped inside and the lights turned on.

  ‘Right. Do me a favour and take the stairs down to the main floor. I know he preferred the stairs to the elevators. Maybe he fell or something. Call me back when you’re done.’

  ‘Will do, sir,’ Constable Curry said, pushing open the last stall door. ‘Washroom’s empty, so he’s not here. I’ll start heading down and give you a call back shortly.’ He hung up the phone and put it in his pants pocket. Turning, he walked down to the end of the hallway where an exit sign showed the way to the stairs. The door had the number fourteen in large white numbers. He slid off his jacket and opened the door. ‘At least going down is easier than going up.’

  When he reached the main floor, he put his jacket back on and walked over to the security desk. The guard looked up from some papers that he was reading.

  ‘All done?’ the guard asked.

  ‘Yeah. No one is in the office. If Mr. Williams happens to show up this evening, could you have him give me a call?’ said Constable Curry, passing the guard his business card.

  ‘Will do. You can use the door on the far left when you leave—the others won’t open at this time,’ the guard said, turning his attention back to his papers.

  ‘Thanks. Have a good night.’ Constable Curry walked over to the bay of doors, zipping his jacket up to his chin. He looked out the window before exiting. The snow was falling heavier now, blowing in horizontally from the north. He stepped out into the cold night, his eyes stinging from the wind. He walked over to his cruiser. The windows were already covered with snow. He fumbled for his keys and finally unlocked the door and got inside, brushing the snow from his jacket and pants onto the floor. ‘Man, I hate winter,’ he muttered to himself as he pulled out his cellphone.

  CHAPTER SIX

  ‘Oh, excuse me,’ the Captain said to Penner, taking his phone out of his pocket. ‘Hello?’ he said, putting his finger in his other ear so he could cut out some of the noise from the crowd.

  ‘Captain? This is Constable Curry.’

  ‘Thanks for calling back. So, anything?’

  ‘No, sir. The stairs were empty. I did ask the security guard to give me a call if Mr. Williams comes into the building tonight at any point, so I’ll let you know if I hear anything.’

  ‘Right. Have a good night and stay safe.’

  ‘Will do, sir. Thanks.’

  The Captain hung up and put the phone back in his jacket pocket. ‘Well, no sign of Mark at his office,’ he said to Penner, looking around the room. ‘There’s Beverly. I’ll go let her know, so she can decide if she wants to get started or wait a bit longer.’

  ‘I’ll come over with you,’ she said, noticing Arden walking in their general direction. ‘I’m done mingling right now.’

  They started cutting through the crowd of people towards Beverly, who was talking to Chris.

  ‘Excuse me, Beverly,’ the Captain said, tapping her on the shoulder. ‘Just an update—the officer who went to Mark’s office didn’t see him there. His suit was still there, so he may not have gone back to the office after his engagement this morning.’

  ‘But where could he have gone? He’s usually early for things like this,’ Beverly said. ‘He knew about this, right, Chris?’

  ‘Well, yeah. He reminded me what time it started, so he definitely knew,’ said Chris. ‘Maybe he met up with someone after being at the school and went for dinner or a drink or something. You know how he likes to talk, maybe he just lost track of time.’

  ‘I guess.’ Beverly checked the time. ‘Well, I should probably get up there and say a few words before people start to get too impatient and leave. Mark is going to get an earful when I see him next. Alright, if you’ll excuse me, I have a dedication to do.’ A server was walking by with a tray of glasses and Beverly handed him her empty wine glass before making her way up to the small stage at the front of the room. As she stood in front of the microphone, the background music suddenly stopped.

  ‘Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.’ The crowd ended their conversations and turned towards the stage. ‘I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for coming out during this terribly stormy night. I know it’s not the best of conditions, but at least it’s nice and warm in here. And there’s no snow.’ There was a ripple of laughter from some of the people in attendance. ‘As many of you know, my father was a lover of all things art. Over the years, he travelled the world, meeting artists and growing his collection. Whenever he came home from being away, I remember how much I loved sitting in the living room with him as he unveiled the new pieces that he had bought. He would tell me stories of the different artists that he had met, the communities they were from, and their different styles of creating art. It was those days, sitting around the fireplace, that sparked my own interest in art. No pun intended.’ Another laugh. ‘Since then, I have started my own collection, along with my husband, Mark, who unfortunately, couldn’t join us tonight. We realized that our collection was getting a little too big for the two of us to enjoy on our own, and that’s why we are all here this evening. I am so happy to be able to open this new exhibit, which is a combination of pieces that we have collected over the years, as well as some of my favourite pieces from my father’s collection. The collection will now stay here in the museum for the foreseeable future—a place for more people to come and enjoy the art that has brought so much joy to me and my family over the years.’ She smiled as the crowd applauded. ‘So, without further ado, I would like to invite you all in to have a look at the Williams collection. Thank you so much.’ She smiled again as she walked off the stage to the sound of clapping. The music started back up, filling the room with the sounds of jazz.

  ‘People seem to be pretty excited to check out the art,’ Penner said looking at the line of people winding their way to the back room. ‘Glad we got a sneak peak.’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind heading back in when it empties out a bit,’ the Captain replied. ‘I want to have a closer look at that dog sled carving.’

  ‘It really is a stunning piece, isn’t it,’ Beverly said, joining them with a fresh glass of wine. ‘That one was done by Dante Tootsie, as well,’ she said to Penner. ‘The artist whose paintings you liked.’

  ‘He painted and carved? That’s surprising,’ said Penner. ‘Both were so good. I would think someone would be good at painting or carving, but not both.’

  ‘Really depends on the artist, I guess,’ Beverly said. ‘A lot of artists try working in multiple mediums, some are just better than others, like with anything. And art is so subjective. Look at Picasso. He painted, sculpted, made ceramics. Some people love everything he did. Some don’t like any of it. Just a matter of taste, really.’

  ‘True. I just never really thought of a painter as also being a carver. But, I guess an artist is an artist. You told me that you have several of his pieces. Do you have any other carvings by him?’ Penner asked.

  ‘There’s one more that we donated as well—a carving of a muskox. It’s done out of whale bone, which is really impressive. It was one of the only whale bone carvings Dad had in his collection,’ Beverly said, her attention suddenly drawn to someone in the middle of the room. ‘Oh, give me a second, there’s someone I’
d like you to meet,’ she said, waving over a young man. ‘This is Gabe Tootsie, the artist’s grandson. I flew him in from Labrador for tonight’s gala.’

  ‘Nice to meet you, Gabe. I’m Sue,’ Penner said, shaking his hand. ‘Have you been to Ottawa before? Not the nicest of weather for a visit.’

  ‘This is nothing—kind of like a spring day back home,’ Gabe said with a laugh. ‘Never been here before. Looking forward to spending some time in the next couple of days wandering around and exploring the city.’

  ‘Make sure you visit the Parliament Buildings. They have a really cool tour there. If the weather cooperates, you should take a walk around the outside of the building as well. I think you’d like the different stone carvings that adorn the walls. Just make sure to look up—some of the best ones are up around the clock,’ the Captain said.

  ‘It’s on my list,’ said Gabe with a smile.

  ‘Your grandfather was quite the artist—I love his work. Well, what I’ve seen of it, anyway,’ Penner said.

  ‘Thanks! He really was a pioneer. It’s really cool getting a chance to see some of his earlier pieces. Growing up, we had a few of his paintings and carvings in my parents’ house, but some of the ones Mrs. Williams has in her collection are quite different. If you know what you’re looking for, you can tell they were done by my grandfather, but they’re definitely not his typical style.’

  ‘Gabe’s quite the artist in his own right,’ Beverly said, patting Gabe on the shoulder. ‘He’s already had an exhibit back in Labrador and one of his paintings is proudly on display over my sofa at home.’

  ‘That’s impressive,’ the Captain said. ‘You can’t be much older than what, sixteen?’

  ‘Hey, thanks,’ Gabe said. ‘No, I’m almost twenty-three, actually. Always had a bit of a baby-face—can’t grow facial hair to save my life. Makes it tough when I try to buy a beer. I get carded all the time, and sometimes they think I’m using a fake I.D.,’ he said with a laugh. ‘I finished high school a couple of years ago, and I decided I’d take a few years off before college—see if I can make a go at being an artist. School’s pretty expensive, so gotta save up some cash. And if I can actually make some money selling my art, then there’s no real need to go to art school.’