Slightly Shady by Amanda Quick Read Free Book Online

"You must find it as soon as possible. So much hangs upon this matter." "I am aware of that." "Yes, of course you are." Neville went to the brandy table and seized the decanter. "Forgive me. I am well aware that we have a mutual interest in finding the bloody diary." He paused with the bottle in midair and glanced at Tobias. "D'you mind?" "Of course not. Be my guest." Tobias tried not to wince at the sight of the large quantity of brandy that Neville poured into a glass. The stuff was expensive. But it generally paid to be gracious to the client. Neville took two quick swallows and put down the glass. He studied Tobias with a grim expression. "You must find it, March. if it falls into the wrong hands, we may never know who Azure really was. Worse yet, we will not learn the name of the single surviving member of the Blue Chamber." "Another fortnight at most and you will have the diary, Sir," Tobias said. "Another fortnight?" Neville stared at him with an appalled expression. "Impossible. That is too long to wait." "I will do my best to uncover it as soon as possible. That is all I can promise." "Damnation. Every day that passes is another day in which the diary may be lost or destroyed." Anthony stirred and politely cleared his throat. "I would remind you, sir, that it is only because of Tobias's efforts that you are even aware the diary exists in the first place and is somewhere here in London. That is a good deal more information than you had last month at this time." "Yes, yes, of course." Neville prowled the room with long, restless strides and massaged his temples. "You must forgive me. I have not slept well since learning of the diary's existence. When I think of those who died during the war because of the actions of those criminals, I can scarcely control my rage." "No one wants to find the damned thing more than I do," Tobias said. "But what if whoever has it destroys it before we can get hold of it? Those two names will be lost to us." "I doubt very much that whoever has possession of the diary will consign it to the fire," Tobias said. Neville stopped rubbing his temples and frowned. "What makes you so certain it will not be destroyed?" "The only person who might conceivably want it destroyed is the one surviving member of the Blue Chamber, and it is highly unlikely that he has got hold of it. To anyone else, it is worth a great deal of money as a source of blackmail. Why burn potential profits? " Neville thought about that. "Your logic seems solid," he finally admitted, somewhat grudgingly. "Give me a little more time," Tobias said. "I will find that diary for you. Perhaps then we shall both sleep better at night." The artist always worked near the hearth. The warmth of the flames together with a pan of hot water and the natural heat of the human hand softened the wax so it could be sculpted and shaped. Most of the initial modeling was done with thumb and forefinger. It required a strong, sure hand to mold the thick, pliant wax. In the initial stages of creation, the artist often worked with eyes closed, relying on a keen sense of touch to form the image. Later a small, sharp, heated tool would be used to add the all-important fine details that breathed vigor and energy and truth into the waxwork. In the artist's opinion, the ultimate effect of the finished piece always hinged on the smallest details: the curve of the jaw, the details of the gown, the expression of the features. Although the viewer's eye rarely focused on such tiny elements, those bits and pieces of reality were the very factors responsible for eliciting the thrilling shock of comprehension that was the mark of all great art. Under the artist's hands, the warm wax seemed to pulse as though blood ran beneath the smooth surface. There was no material so perfect for capturing an imitation of life. None so ideal for preserving the instant of death.
    4vinia paused beneath the leafy branches of a tree to check the address on the small slip of paper.