Chapter 18

The painting had to be baked in the Bakelite oven at different intervals to fake the aging process. There was no way to be sure I was doing it right, but I followed Aunt Lauren’s instructions to the letter. Once it dried, I unveiled the work to Aunt Lauren, Rosalie, and Fairuza.

“Oh, you’ve outdone yourself,” Aunt Lauren said.

“It’s magnificent, Mick,” Fairuza agreed. “You keep improving. I expect you’ll get more out of this than a chance to trick Casper.”

“Can you tell what’s wrong with it?” I asked.

“Yes, I caught it,” Fairuza said with a small smile. “Quite subtle.”

Rosalie and Aunt Lauren continued to study the painting. Rosalie moved her head to within a few inches from the canvas.

“Oh!” Rosalie said, laughing, “I never would have noticed if you hadn’t said anything.”

“What are you people talking about?” Aunt Lauren asked. I pointed out the postcard.