You Mentioned Her Name
Chapter Nine: Abstract
by angellwings
"So what's going on with you and Nick?" Lisa asked over the phone line.
Melissa sighed and untangled herself from the phone cord at the desk in the back office of the gallery, "Nothing Lisa."
"Oh, please girl. You spend every bit of your free time and his together, something has to be happening." Lisa said accusingly.
"I'm just making up for lost time, Lis. That's what's happening."
This was about the millionth time she had answered this question over the past four months. Tabbitha had asked her, Sara had asked her, Angela had asked her, and her assistant, Gilda, had asked her. She was getting sick of this.
"I don't buy it, not one bit. I always thought you were supposed to marry him instead of that jack ass ..." Lisa ranted as Gilda walked through the door of the back room. Gilda gave her an urgent plea of a look and motioned to the front of the gallery.
"Listen, Lis, as much as I want to hear the twenty five reasons I shouldn't have refused Nick's many proposals . . . My assistant is freaking out and I have a feeling I'm needed at the front right away. I'll call you later." Melissa said as she hung out with out waiting for a response and stood up from her chair.
"What's going on Gilda?"
"Apparently, Mr. Winfield bought an abstract from a friend, and it's here." She said with a slight wince.
Melissa grimaced and spoke warily, "How bad is it?"
"Not just bad, it's creepy." Gilda answered as she shook her head.
"Great," Mel said sarcastically, "Let's go have a look at this monstrosity ... I mean masterpiece."
The two women headed to where the painting now hung in the front of the gallery. Melissa's eyes widened at the sight, "What the hell?"
It was a canvas full of what looked like bloody hand prints. They looked feminine in size and shape and had small black numbers written in the palms. The numbers went all the way up to 25. The supposed "paint" looked far too convincing as blood. There was no way you could get paint to look exactly like dried blood.
Gilda gulped from behind her, "I don't like it, it makes me feel . . ."
"Nauseous." Mel finished for her.
"You don't think . . . I mean, that can't be . . . real blood, can it?" She asked nervously.
"I hope not." Melissa said with a touch of fear in her voice.
"What do we do with it?"
"Nothing except hope and pray that some one buys it."
"I don't think I want to meet the collector that buys this." Gilda said with certainty.
"I know what you mean." Melissa said as she tried to tear her horrified gaze away from the canvas.
Suddenly Nick walked through the door, "Hey, Mel, We're all having lunch down the street. I came by to see if- What the hell is that?"
She looked back to see him staring at the painting on the wall in horror.
"That's exactly what I said." Melissa told him with a concerned glance, "Our boss purchased it from one of his rich friends. It's apparently an abstract."
"It's sick." He stated simply.
"Hey, wait, you're a CSI, right?" Gilda asked urgently. When Nick nodded she continued, "So you'd no a way to tell us if this is paint or . . . blood?"
"Yeah, if it was necessary . . ." He said hesitantly.
"Oh, it's necessary. This . . . thing . . . is going to cause me horrible nightmares if we leave this mystery unsolved." Gilda said insistently.
"I'll bring Warrick by after lunch and if he thinks it's suspicious we'll check it out for you, okay?" He asked Gilda gently.
"It's a deal." Gilda said with a sigh as she walked toward the back again.
"Are you coming to lunch?" He asked Mel as he kept one eye on the painting.
"Anything to get away from that." She said as she motioned to the painting.
"So this 'painting' looks like a bunch of bloody hand prints?" Warrick asked thoughtfully.
"A bunch of bloody female hand prints. It's only been in the Gallery for like fifteen minutes and it creeps me out to no end." Melissa clarified.
"Well, if it bothers you that much, we'll have a look at it." Nick said as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Thank you." She said as she sighed in relief.
"So, on to less disturbing topics . . ." Sara said with a small grin in Mel's direction, "When's your sister coming for a visit again?"
"It's not exactly a visit, it's work. She's staying with me while she attends a seminar here in Vegas." Melissa said with a bright smile, "I can not wait to see her. She's been crazy busy in Houston."
"Yeah, she said if things keep going like this she'll break her hundredth case in two weeks." Greg said with a nod.
Melissa peered warily up at him, "Since when do you talk to my sister?"
He smiled nervously, "Um, since three months ago?"
"Seriously? How did I not know this?" She said as she glanced at Nick in shock.
He chuckled lightly, "No clue, all of us knew."
"Well, looks like Tabs has some explaining to do." She said haughtily.
"Good, so that takes the heat off of me then?" Greg asked hopefully.
"A little." She said with a glare.
I know this is an insanely short update, but I thought I had better post something. Lol.
Enjoy!
angellwings