Unknown by Unknown Read Free Book Online Page B

her ,manner taking on a stilted formality under his scrutiny.
    Entering the kitchen loaded down with art supplies, Steve interrupted the sudden heavy silence that had fallen between them. ‘Where do these go?’ he asked.
    ‘Third floor, first door on your right,’ Brad instructed, swinging abruptly around and going back out to his car for another load.
    Unable to resist seeing the skylighted room as soon as possible, Sara also hurried out to her car and gathered up an armload of paintings.
    ‘What this place needs is an elevator,’ Steve complained when she caught up with him on the third floor landing.
    Sara, however, did not respond as she passed him and walked into the promised studio. It was perfect. The skylight was large and centred, flooding the room with sunlight. The walls were white and the floor was a polished hardwood with an oval, braided area rug covering most of the surface. A couch and a small table were the only other furnishings, giving her plenty of room for her equipment and products.
    Brad entered carrying her folded aluminium table which she used for her messier supplies.
    ‘You ever consider putting in an elevator?’ Steve demanded as the men unfolded the long table and set it up against one of the walls.
    ‘After today I might,’ Brad returned with a grimace, and the two men exchanged a comradely laugh.
    Sara realised that this was the first time she had actually heard Brad Garwood laugh. In fact, it was the first time this morning that he had even smiled. In spite of the banter the two men had continually exchanged regarding the amount of art materials one woman could acquire, Brad had retained an air of indifferent reserve, especially in Sara’s company. Considering the position in which she was placing herself this should have been reassuring, but instead his manner left her feeling disgruntled.
    As the men started downstairs, she followed more slowly. It wasn’t just the man’s attitude which was distressing her. It was the house itself. Although she had never been here before, it felt comfortable, as if she had entered the home of a very dear friend. Being tense and overwrought she had expected to feel uneasy in the unfamiliar surroundings, but paradoxically, it was the lack of uneasiness which was making her apprehensive.
    A couple of trips later, she was arranging the materials already brought up to her studio when Steve came in with an armload of items, followed by Brad with two sculptures.
    ‘That’s it,’ her brother announced with an exaggerated sigh, then added as he paused to look around, ‘I wonder if an artist lived here before. This room looks as if it was built for one.’
    ‘I had the skylight put in,’ said Brad, an indefinable edge to his voice. ‘There’s one in my workroom, too.’
    ‘Why fix up two rooms with skylights?’ Steve questioned.
    ‘I was considering knocking out the adjoining wall to increase the size of my working space, but I just never got around to doing it,’ Brad explained, dusting his hands off on his jeans, then hooking his thumbs in the pockets as he too surveyed the room.
    Nodding to say that he understood how easy it was to put off large projects, Steve glanced at his watch. ‘Speaking of work, I think it’s time I got back to the office.’ The glance he threw towards Brad suggested that he thought his boss should be leaving too.
    ‘I’ll be in a little later,’ said Brad. ‘I still have some work to finish up here.’
    ‘Right, boss,’ Steve replied with only a hint of a frown. Pausing by the door he added, ‘I’m going to go ahead and assign two more men to The Pines’ site.’
    ‘Fine,’ Brad agreed, a note of dismissal in his voice.
     
    Because Steve was in charge of the security for all Brad’s properties and projects, Sara knew that as private ventures the man had already built one large shopping mall plus an office complex. She also knew that The Pines, a townhouse community outside Charleston, was his newest