Axel treated Maris and Dinah to dinner at Raffles. He thought about doing a prowl of the hawker stalls in Chinatown, then decided it would be better the first time to talk to them in a quieter place. He didn’t want them to know he’d been in Singapore for several months and thought it seemed more tourist-like to have dinner at the hotel. Besides, it would be a nice change for them, he thought. They probably weren’t used to such grand dining. The downside, of course, was that they might try to sell him some of the more expensive items in the gallery. Actually, he had liked the Indonesian sculpture and was considering buying it.
Dinah and Maris arrived on time and met him at the cocktail bar of the Courtyard restaurant. Here, under the ornately carved arches, they could order oriental or Mediterranean-style seafood, al fresco, surrounded by palm trees and potted plants. It had a charming colonial look and feel and was one of Axel’s favourite spots in the hotel, mainly because the dress code was more casual. Axel hated being told what to wear to dinner.
They ordered drinks and chatted about things Singaporean in general for the first half hour. Axel told them he was there on business and hadn’t had a lot of time to sightsee, but that he was looking forward to a little time off so he could wander around the various districts and maybe do the boat trip on the river.
“It’s so hot and humid all the time,” he said, “that I walk one block and I have to stop for a cold drink and some air conditioning.” He laughed. “I’m not used to this kind of weather. Even in the middle of summer in Stockholm it’s never this hot.”
“I know,” said Maris. “It takes some getting used to. I grew up near the mountains in British Columbia, where it gets cold and it gets hot, but never this extreme. It’s the humidity that kills you. I’ve gotten used to being sort of damp all the time, but Dinah never seems to sweat at all. And she wears long sleeves when it goes below thirty degrees. It drives me nuts.”
Axel laughed. “You have my sympathy.”
They moved to a table with a large umbrella and the waiter brought their appetizers. They dug into crispy calamari, chicken satay with spicy peanut sauce, and vegetable spring rolls. Axel ordered a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, not the cheapest thing on the menu by any means, but he intended to write it off as a business expense. The wine reminded Maris of her mother and the evenings when they had shared a similar vintage. It seemed like a long time ago now.
“So tell me more about the gallery,” said Axel, as they waited for their main course. “I’m interested in where you get your stuff. Do you travel around the world looking for it or do you have agents doing that for you?”
“Well,” said Dinah, “my late brother’s ex-wife actually owns the business now and she operates mostly out of Germany, where she has agents, but she also travels a fair bit, too. She has a good eye, and I have to admit, she and my brother were a great team, businesswise. They just didn’t do as well as husband and wife.” Dinah giggled. “Oh dear,” she said, “am I being indiscreet? I’m not used to drinking.”
“It’s okay, Dinah,” said Maris. “You haven’t revealed the combination to the safe, yet.”
“That’s a relief,” said Dinah taking another sip of wine. “This is very good, Axel. Thank you for treating us so well. But I’m sure it’s supposed to be the other way around. We’re supposed to be entertaining you so you’ll buy our stuff.”
Axel laughed. “You’re right,” he said. “I could always quietly disappear before the bill comes, if you like.”
“That’s quite all right,” said Maris. “We’re happy with this arrangement. I don’t think Angela would like it if we spent all the profits on one potential customer.”
“Angela?” said Axel.
“Yes,” said Maris. “Peter’s ex. She’s a very shrewd businesswoman.”
“Well, you seem to have a pretty successful enterprise. You’re not a partner, Dinah? Being Peter’s sister and all?”
“No,” said Dinah. “That might have changed in time, but I don’t think Peter intended to die so soon.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to bring that up. It must be painful for you. Was he ill?”
Maris and Dinah looked at each other.
Maris said, “He was murdered, Axel, and the case has never been solved.”
Axel stared at them in silence. He hadn’t expected that and wondered how it had escaped the scrutiny of Satya and Charles.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. “Very sorry.”
“Thank you,” said Dinah.
“It’s been hard,” said Maris. “Dinah’s done her best to carry on, and the clients have been very loyal. But the worst part is not knowing what happened to him and why. I mean, it’s not like Peter had enemies. He was so decent and honest, and the gallery was his life. It was his own work of art, if you will.”
“You were close to him, too, were you, Maris?” said Axel.
“Yes. He was my mentor in a way. He gave me confidence in my work and sold a lot of my paintings.”
“Yes, that’s right,” said Axel. “Dinah said you were a painter. I’d like to look at your work sometime.”
“I haven’t done much lately,” said Maris. “Not since Peter died. It kind of took the stuffing out of me and I had a bit of a dry period. I even went back to Canada for a while to stay with my family. But I decided I really wanted to be here, and I’m glad I came back. Dinah’s been shouldering the whole thing on her own, and I want to help her keep the gallery going. I certainly owe it to Peter, and Dinah’s the best friend I’ve got.”
Dinah smiled. “Thanks, Maris,” she said, raising her glass of wine.
When they finished their meal, Axel and Maris ordered dessert, but Dinah declined and just had coffee.
“That’s another thing I hate about her,” said Maris, “besides the fact that she doesn’t sweat. She eats only as much as she needs and doesn’t stuff herself like a Christmas turkey.”
“That’s okay,” said Axel, signalling for the bill. “Between the two of you, I think I got my money’s worth. It’s been a pleasure, ladies, and I hope we can do it again sometime.”
“I hope so, too,” said Dinah. “But it will be our treat next time. We’ll do a hawker crawl. You can’t be in Singapore and not eat hawker food.”
“Absolutely,” Maris agreed. “We’ll show you the town.”
“Sounds fantastic,” said Axel. “And will you hold that goddess piece for me, Dinah? I’m giving it very serious consideration.”
Dinah smiled. It was a small sale, but maybe they had a real collector in Axel and he’d buy more. Angela would be pleased. A new client was always good news.
The next day when he got to the office, Axel said to Satya, “Get me everything you can on Peter Stone, gallery owner, murdered about a year ago. And I mean everything.”
“Okay, Boss,” she said. “I’m on it.”