The Black Painting Read online

  An old-money East Coast family faces the suspicious death of its patriarch and the unsolved theft of a Goya painting rumored to be cursed

  There are four cousins in the Morse family: perfect Kenny, the preppy West Coast lawyer; James, the shy but brilliant medical student; his seductive, hard-drinking sister Audrey; and Teresa, youngest and most fragile, haunted by the fear that she has inherited the madness that possessed her father.

  Their grandfather summons them to his mansion at Owl’s Point. None of them have visited the family estate since they were children, when a prized painting disappeared: a self-portrait by Goya, rumored to cause madness or death upon viewing. Afterward, the family split apart amid the accusations and suspicions that followed its theft.

  Any hope that their grandfather planned to make amends evaporates when Teresa arrives to find the old man dead, his horrified gaze pinned upon the spot where the painting once hung. As the family gathers and suspicions mount, Teresa hopes to find the reasons behind her grandfather’s death and the painting’s loss. But to do so she must uncover ugly family secrets and confront those who would keep them hidden.

  A masterful, deftly plotted novel, The Black Painting explores the profound power that art, and the past, hold over our lives.

  THE BLACK PAINTING

  Neil Olson

  Advance praise for

  The Black Painting

  “The volatility of memory, the treacherous crucible of family lore, and the myths and mysteries of Goya’s Black Paintings all come hypnotically together in Neil Olson’s outstanding novel. With taut, confident prose and breathless plotting, Olson leads us through a dark and dazzling kaleidoscope of a story. Here is a writer to watch.”

  —Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and Circling the Sun

  “You’ll need extra coffee in the morning because The Black Painting is going to keep you up reading way too late! A well-crafted psychological thriller with an intricate plot and first-rate characters, this deluxe suspense literally bursts with surprises.”

  —M.J. Rose, author of The Reincarnationist

  “Neil Olson’s The Black Painting is an expertly confected, delicious mystery/thriller, and also a deeper study of the family romance, with echoes of Cheever’s ‘Goodbye, My Brother.’”

  —Madison Smartt Bell, author of Behind the Moon and National Book Award finalist for All Souls’ Rising

  Also by Neil Olson

  The Icon

  For my mother, Rose

  Neil Olson is the author of The Icon, a novel of art theft and family intrigue, and the play Dealers. He lives in New York City with his wife and works in the publishing industry.

  www.NeilOlsonAuthor.com

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Acknowledgments

  1

  Last night she dreamed of the house on Owl’s Point. Waning sunlight bathed the old brick face, and waves pounded the rocks below. Her cousins were there. James, whom she loved, and his sister Audrey, whom she despised. James tried to warn her of some threat hidden in the pines, but his sister only laughed. Audrey was grown-up, looking as she had at her wedding. Disheveled and slightly mad. James was the child he always was in her dreams, never older than eleven. As if his life had stopped there. Though the dream disturbed Teresa, there was nothing odd in the fact of it. At her grandfather’s request she was returning to Owl’s Point for the first time in fifteen years.

  The train car swayed gently. Connecticut coast swept past the window. Rocky woods gave way to broad swaths of gray water and the dark smudge of Long Island. Streams ran through acres of marsh grass, and an egret took flight, white wings pumping. Sometimes it felt like Teresa had spent her life on this train. Going back and forth to school. Later to visit friends and professors still in New Haven. Before that, long before, were the trips to her grandparents in Langford. The house and grounds were a vast and beguiling world where she and her cousins burned countless hours, outside the normal flow of time. They built a tree fort in the big oak. They explored the inlet by the bridge in their canoes. They played epic games of hide-and-seek. There was no beach, but Audrey—against all warnings—would leap from the black rocks into the surf. Just as she would climb the tallest trees, or slip out an attic window to crawl around on the slate roof of the mansion. No punishment or injury deterred her, and that recklessness continued into adulthood.

  It was Teresa and James who discovered the indoor secrets. The dumbwaiter that ran from the cold cellar to the master bedroom—by way of the kitchen, where you could fling open the door and scare Jenny, the cook. The hidden closet under the stairs, where they fell asleep one afternoon and threw the house into a panic. The unfinished room in the attic, the crawl space in the wine cellar, more places that she had since forgotten. Only Grandpa’s study was off-limits. Teresa looked forward to the trips to Owl’s Point for weeks beforehand. They were the highlight of summer, or any season. Until they abruptly stopped.

  No one else left the train at Langford. The platform was short and broken. Only eight cars were in the lot, none of them her grandfather’s green Jaguar. Teresa remembered that he no longer drove, so she looked for Ilsa. Had they forgotten she was coming? That seemed unlikely, but ten minutes passed without any sign of a ride. She reached for her phone, then stopped. If she had ever known the Owl’s Point number, it was lost to memory. She could call her mother, of course, but she would rather drink paint thinner. It was two miles to the house, more or less. On a narrow and twisty lane. Teresa sighed. Then she slung her bag, walked past the coffee shop, bank, jewelers, and up the slope of Long Hill Road.

  “There is absolutely no need to go there,” she heard her mother say, an echo of last night’s argument.

  “He’s asked all the grandchildren,” Teresa had replied, though Miranda knew that. “Kenny and Audrey and James have agreed.”

  “That’s their choice. You can make a different one.”

  “Mother.”

  “Whatever he wants to say he can put in a letter or a telephone call.”

  “Do you know what he wants to say?”

  “For goodness’ sake, how would I know that?”

  “Because he’s your father.”

  Miranda treated the fact as an accusation, and the conversation went downhill fast. Trudging up the steep and tree-shrouded lane, Teresa pictured her mother in the West Village apartment, bought when there was still family money. Tending her exotic roses or painting in her studio. Flitting about in those bright Indian shawls with her artsy friends. Clueless about the real world.

  “Stop,” Teresa said aloud. Only the trees as witnesses. Just stop. Stop being angry with your mother, with everyone.

  A car was rushing up the hill behind her. She could hear the high performance motor straining through the steep turn. They all drove too fast around
here, and of course there was no sidewalk. Who would walk anywhere in Langford? She stepped off the road into a mass of saplings and early fallen leaves. Praying not to be hit. Or that at least it should be a quick death from a very expensive car.

  It was a red Lexus convertible, which missed her by several feet. She saw a blur of blond hair and sunglasses, then the car slowed immediately, pulling onto the scant margin forty yards ahead. The driver jumped up in the seat and turned, calling out merrily.

  “Tay-ray!”

  Dear God in Heaven. Audrey.

  “Well, don’t just stand there,” her cousin shouted.

  At least she would not have to walk the rest of the way. Dutifully, Teresa marched toward the vehicle. Like a condemned man. To her horror, Audrey leaped out and swept her into a hug. She smelled musky. Some combination including sandalwood, vodka and sweat. She carried a few extra pounds, though in all the right places. Audrey stepped back to survey her younger, skinny, dark-haired cousin.

  “Look at you all grown-up,” she gushed.

  “I was twenty years old at your wedding,” said Teresa.

  “Yeah,” Audrey conceded. “But there were, like, four hundred people there. And I was completely wasted.” Teresa had to laugh at the admission, and Audrey flashed a peroxide smile. “Get in. I guess we’re going the same way.”

  Teresa climbed in and buckled up as Audrey gunned the engine. With hardly a glance either way, she shot back onto the road.

  “When did you get this car?” Teresa shouted over the wind and motor.

  “In the divorce,” said Audrey, matter-of-fact. “Piece of crap, but I’m broke right now, so I’m stuck with it. What do you drive?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Seriously?”

  “New York has excellent public transportation.”

  “Socialist,” Audrey jeered. “This ain’t New York. Why were you walking?”

  “Because you were late?” Teresa guessed. Audrey did a double take.

  “Wait, what? Nobody told me to pick you up. I didn’t even know you were coming.”

  Teresa’s anxiety, briefly quelled, rose up again.

  “There was no one at the station. I figured Ilsa would get me. We spoke two days ago.”

  “Ilsa,” Audrey scoffed. “She must be like a hundred years old now.”

  “I don’t think she’s more than seventy. Maybe not even.”

  “Whatever, at least you were wearing the right shoes.”

  Teresa’s boots were low-heeled and comfortable. She never wore anything that was not good for walking. For her grandfather’s interview, she had put on a tasteful gray suit. Audrey was driving barefoot, but a pair of red pumps was jammed half under the seat. She wore tight black jeans and a white V-neck tee to show off her big tanned boobs. Because you never knew when you might meet a hot guy at your decrepit grandfather’s house.

  “So qué pasa, Tay-ray? What’s going on in your life?”

  The nickname came from her father Ramón’s pronunciation. Not the Anglicized Ta-ree-sa, but the Spanish Tay-ray-sa. For the Saint. James started calling her Tay-ray when they were four years old. She liked the name on his lips. With Audrey, it always sounded like a taunt.

  “I’m back in school,” Teresa replied. “Graduate school.”

  “I heard. Art appreciation or something?”

  “It’s called art history,” she said impatiently. “Art appreciation is what your mother does at the country club.”

  “My mother just got plowed there.” Audrey slid the sunglasses down and smirked. “A little defensive, are we?”

  “No.”

  “Are you painting? Isn’t that what you really wanted to do?”

  “Watch the road.”

  They had swung up on the rear of a gray Volvo. Its cautious speed annoyed Audrey beyond reason.

  “This is ridiculous. Speed up or move over, granny.”

  “Don’t,” Teresa said, sensing her cousin’s intention. “Do not try to pass her on this narrow—Audrey!”

  The Lexus was already moving around the slower car, simultaneously shaping a very tight—and blind—curve. Teresa closed her eyes and prayed to the God in whom she no longer believed. When she opened them again they were accelerating along what must be the only straightaway in Langford. Audrey was hooting.

  “Oh, Tay, you should see your face. Am I going to have to clean that seat?”

  “I would punch you in the head if you weren’t driving.”

  Audrey laughed even harder.

  “I like this feisty you,” she declared. “You were such a drip as a kid. With your pasty skin and your books and your condition. Who knew you would grow up to be such a tough girl? All ninety pounds of you.”

  It was a hundred and three, by why argue? Teresa had as much trouble keeping weight on as other women did losing it. It was actually a problem, but not one for which she would get any sympathy, so she learned not to discuss it.

  “Is James at the house?” she asked, as much to change the subject as from real curiosity.

  “Nope,” Audrey answered. “James and Kenny were yesterday. You and me today.”

  “Oh.” Teresa tried to hide her disappointment, though her cousin surely noticed. She used to tease that James and Teresa would get married someday. “Why?”

  “Why do you think?” Audrey said, smile gone sour. But her disgust was not with Teresa. “Boys first, then girls. Men have serious stuff to talk about, right? Careers, obligations, all that. Women, we’re just frivolous creatures.”

  It probably doesn’t help that you act like a frivolous creature, Teresa wanted to say, but did not.

  “I don’t think Grandpa feels that way. I don’t remember—”

  “Exactly,” Audrey cut her off. “You don’t remember. You were how old the last time you saw him? Nine, ten?”

  “I’m the same age as your brother.”

  “So eleven. Both of you off in your own little world. Kenny and me were older, we saw what was going on. This family has always been about the boys.”

  “Did James tell you why we’ve been summoned?”

  “No,” Audrey said. “Little prick hasn’t returned my call. I’m guessing it’s to pass on some precious wisdom before the old geezer kicks it.”

  Teresa recognized the brick pillars wreathed in ivy even as Audrey slowed for the turn. Sixty-Six Long Hill Road. Owl’s Point. The drive dipped down into a marsh with a narrow bridge, barely wide enough for the car. This was where they swam and canoed. Where Kenny caught the sand shark. Where he nearly drowned Audrey after she teased him once too often. It was as Teresa remembered, but also different. Smaller. They ascended again, through a grove of cedars and a huge bank of rhododendron. And there was the house. Three stories of red brick and slate. The blue shutters and door were faded. The steel cross on the lawn—the work of some second-tier sculptor—was rusted and had a branch wedged in the crossbar. There were no cars in sight. Audrey killed the engine, and silence fell over them.

  “Huh,” Audrey said, beginning to share Teresa’s unease.

  “You think they might be out?”

  “Ilsa maybe.” Audrey stepped from the car and slapped her door closed, startling a crow from a pine tree. “The old guy never goes anywhere.”

  “Have you seen him?” Teresa asked, getting out and following. “I mean, have you been here since...”

  “Since the theft? Maybe twice, but not for years. You?”

  “No,” Teresa said. “Never. I’ve spoken to him on the phone. I thought I might see him at your wedding.”

  “He was invited,” Audrey said. “I think someone told him not to come. Wow, this place has really gone to hell.”

  They stood before the door, which was badly chipped. The whole house had a mournful air about it, though that may have been Teresa’s imagination. And the late Sep
tember light. Audrey was about to hit the bell when Teresa noticed the door was a few inches ajar.

  “Look. It’s open.”

  They exchanged a quick glance. Then Audrey pushed the heavy door and marched in.

  “Hello? The girls are here—anyone around?”

  Teresa followed her into the front hall, papered in a fading green of leafy vines. A wide, carpeted stairway ascended on the right. The look and even the smell of the place—wood polish and dust—was instantly familiar. Yet like the property outside, it was diminished by time and wear. That magical house of Teresa’s childhood no longer existed. Near the stairs, Audrey was looking at the control panel of what must be a fairly new house alarm. The display read: Disarmed.

  “They must be home or they would have set the alarm,” Audrey said, tightness creeping into her voice. “You look around here, I’ll check upstairs.”

  Teresa started to protest, but could think of no reason why. Then she realized that she did not want to be left alone. Her face flushed with embarrassment, but Audrey was already bounding up the stairs. Get a grip, Teresa said to herself. It’s an old house. Full of sadness and memories, but nothing to be afraid of. You haven’t believed in evil paintings since you were a little girl, and anyway it was stolen. It’s not here anymore.

  It took only a glance into the sitting and dining rooms to confirm they were empty. She went slowly down the hall, glancing at old vases and portraits without seeing them. Dread gripped her. She had shed childish superstitions in college. She took pride in her scientific view of art, of the world. Yet some habits stuck. Such as the belief in her own instinct, which was correct more often than she could explain. And which was telling her right now that there was nothing alive in this house.

  The billiard room was also empty, the table covered in a white tarp. Teresa enjoyed the game, but she was a poor player. Audrey was the pool shark. Hustling Kenny for his summer allowance while James and Teresa played chess in the corner. For a moment, she saw the ghosts of their younger selves scattered around the room. There and gone.