Simon"s studio was in semi-darkness, heavy curtains drawn across the tall windows. Paintings, indistinct in the shadows, hung on the walls.
Two easels occupied a central workspace, one in shadow, the other under a spotlight. A cloth covered a painting on the illuminated easel.
Alice, wearing her keffiyeh, sat alone on a basket chair. She looked apprehensive.
Simon watched her from the shadows of the studio doorway. He could see her face clearly in the bright glow cast by the spotlight. She looked exhausted and ill. He felt angry with himself, even ashamed, for entertaining thoughts of a possible extra-marital affair. There was more going on here than Will"s passing infidelity. Something much darker and far more dangerous was at work.
He strode purposefully into the studio. "Sorry about
