Chapter 10 - The Paintings on the Wall
Ruth gripped my wrist when she heard about the studio. "Those kids trusted me. Their work has their school names on it."
Moreno checked with the officers at Rosebridge. No children were present; the studio was closed for the weekend. The intruders had left before police reached the property, but several cabinets had been pulled open. Investigators were checking for missing records.
"Don't go there," Moreno warned us. "We'll document what was taken."
Ruth began pacing. She'd spent fifteen years turning an old potting shed into a place where children could paint without worrying about supplies. She knew every color-stained stool and cracked mug. Losing a sale would hurt. Losing the safe place she'd built for other families felt personal.
Beth watched through the glass door, crying silently. I couldn't tell whether she was grieving what she'd done or fearing what Simon would do to her next. Maybe both.
Moreno said program coordinators would notify families if records were missing. Waiting was hard.
Anita found us in the hallway. "The county has flagged the disputed filing. Nobody is recording a sale based on that paper today."
"Then Simon's bluff is failing," I said.
"Which may make him more dangerous," she answered.
After lunch, Moreno returned with a fresh still from a neighbor's doorbell camera. Doss had walked out of our studio carrying a flat portfolio. Behind him was Simon Kreel himself, no longer just a name in documents.
Ruth reached for the back of a chair. "He came in person."
"Yes," Moreno said. "And Beth says Simon's been asking about one specific folder."
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I knew the folder. It held the original agreement allowing the neighborhood program to use the studio, along with letters from families who had helped restore it. Those documents would not transfer a property, but they made Simon's promise of a quick, uncomplicated sale far less believable.
Moreno set down the photograph. "There's more. A neighbor heard one of the men say, 'Get the Price family here before dark.'"
