When the Stars Go Dark

The supervisor of the Art Center assures Anna that Studio 4 is unoccupied. He lets her in, however. There is only a small workbench and a scattering of paintings. Anna recognizes the signature in the corner—Jack Ford, Caleb and Jenny’s eccentric ne’er-do-well father. Anna believes this cache of canvases is worth quite a bit. She wishes the room could speak to her, could tell her whether Cameron had ever been there. Will, when he arrives, suggests that because Caleb is the sole proprietor of his father’s estate, he must be somehow connected to Studio 4. What is curious, Will notes, is how many of Jack’s canvases depict the Time and the Maiden carving downtown atop the Masonic Hall. Anna reluctantly concedes that “they’re sort of beautiful” (308).

Anna goes to Caleb’s to ask him about the studio. Caleb is busy working on a painting of his own in his garage. He is guarded when Anna asks about his father’s paintings and the studio itself. Caleb agrees to accompany Anna back to the studio and go over the paintings. As Caleb returns to the house to get his wallet and keys, Anna sees a photograph over his workbench but can’t identify it.