Page 12 of An Eye for an Eye

‘No, paper,’ said Alice, holding up a napkin.

‘Yes, I go.’

‘I have a feeling you’re about to get several more napkins,’ said Ross, ‘which should be more than enough to keep Mary Cassatt occupied until I get her another sketch pad.’

‘Two at least,’ said Alice, ‘before she moves on to tablecloths!’

Ross looked more carefully at his daughter’s drawing of a teapot and smiled.

‘Inspector,’ said Alice, ‘you may pose as the scourge of the criminal classes, but Jojo only has to bat an eyelid and you come running.’

‘Guilty as charged,’ said Ross. ‘But what do you expect me to do?’

‘Not a lot,’ said Alice, taking his hand. ‘In truth, you’re no different from the vast majority of fathers whose daughters I teach.’

‘How good do you think she is?’ Ross asked, looking more closely at his pepper pot, as the waitress placed a mound of paper napkins on the table.

‘Very good. So keep on encouraging her.’

Ross smiled, abandoned his croissant, leaned across and kissed Alice, just as Jojo came bustling back into the dining room clutching a pencil sharpener.

‘So embarrassing,’ she repeated, as she sat down and began to sharpen her pencil. She unfolded one of the new napkins and began to draw Ross’s hands, but only remained silent for a moment. ‘Are you both sending Beth some money for the cause?’ asked Jojo, not looking up.

‘What cause in particular do you have in mind?’ asked Ross.

‘Artemisia says Beth’s trying to save a rare Rembrandt drawing of an angel for the Fitzmolean, but she has to raise half a million.’

‘And how much are you giving towards it?’ asked Alice.

‘Four weeks of my pocket money,’ came back the immediate reply.

‘If everyone is as generous as you,’ said Ross, ‘I feel sure Beth will make it, and I’ll send a contribution as soon as we get back.’

‘So will I,’ said Alice.

‘Will that come to a half million?’ asked Jojo.

‘Not quite. So, what have we planned for today?’ said Ross, wanting to change the subject.

‘Caravaggio,’ said Jojo, before Alice could reply. ‘There are two of his most famous paintings in the local museum in Messina that I just have to see.’

‘And one of them,’ said Alice, consulting her guidebook, ‘The Raising of Lazarus, is considered to be among his finest works.’

‘Did he live in Messina?’ asked Jojo as she continued to draw.

‘No,’ replied Alice, turning a page of the guidebook, ‘he was on the run at the time, having committed murder in a tavern in Rome, and it was before the Pope pardoned him, making it possible for him to return to the capital, without fear of being arrested.’

‘Why would the Pope of all people pardon a murderer?’ demanded Ross.

‘He wanted Caravaggio to paint his portrait before he died,’ said Jojo.

Alice smiled, revelling in that wonderful moment when a child teaches you something and the pupil becomes the master.

‘Dad, would you have arrested Caravaggio?’

‘Yes. Unlike the Pope, I consider breaking the sixth commandment a mortal sin.’

‘So, you would have hanged him?’ asked Alice.