“Well, close can mean so many different things. We might not be in and out of each other’s houses every five minutes, but we’re a family. My sister and her husband are busy, you know, so often a little time goes by between visits. But I’ve always loved the kids. Oscar’s interested in drawing, actually. Vic doesn’t have any artistic ability, but both Essie and Oscar have potential, and they’re eager to learn.”

“Your sister’s company ran into some adversity a couple of years ago.…”

Jenny waited. Where was he going with this?

“I’m thinking about the accusations of shill bidding and the subsequent press coverage. Has that had an effect on the family?”

“Of course. It was like being hit by a bus. My sister and brother-in-law are still struggling with the fallout from that case.”

He glanced at the easel and the sketch she was working on.

“Has it affected you as well?”

Jenny felt the blood drain from her head, flowing toward some unknown point in her body. She remembered how she had screamed at her sister, pummeled her brother-in-law in the chest with her fists, and pleaded with them to do something. Hold the Arken Museum accountable, threaten the journalists into silence, whatever it took to curb the forces that were choking off her career.

“No, it hasn’t.” She looked him in the eye.

He eyed her inquisitively, then turned another empty page in his notebook.

“When did you last see your nephew?”

Jenny thought it over.

“It’s been a while. He’s gotten so big and takes interest in other things. It was probably a few months ago, maybe six months. I can’t remember for sure.”

“Where did you meet?”

“Uh, probably here. Oscar used to come by and draw sometimes. Mostly when he was little. Sometimes he would spend the night.”

“Here?” The policeman pointed around with his ballpoint pen, looking like someone who would rather die than let his child sleep in a place like this.

“What’s wrong with my atelier? Don’t you find it acceptable, or what?”

He raised both eyebrows in surprise.

Jenny took a deep breath and tried to smile. She needed to get better control of herself!

“It’s a little messy at the moment. I usually tidy up if I’m expecting visitors. But a certain amount of creative chaos fosters inspiration.”

The policeman noted something down. Jenny tried to swallow.

“Like I said, it’s been several months since I saw my nephew, but I didn’t think he seemed all that happy when I last saw him.”

He looked up from the notebook.

“But I don’t know for sure. A teenage boy doesn’t discuss his emotions with his old aunt.”

“He didn’t tell you about having problems at school?”

“No.”

“Even so, you could tell that something was wrong,” the policeman continued. “Did you suspect anything specific?”