Chapter 3 - Peeling the Canvas
The waitress slowly lowered the silver tray.
She set it down onto a marble-topped console table directly beneath the painting.
The base of a champagne flute clacked against the stone.
She stepped closer to the gilded frame.
Her manicured fingers hovered over the ornately carved gold leaf.
She pressed her fingertips against the edge of the heavy frame and pulled gently outward.
It wasn't mounted.
It was on a hidden steel hinge.
The massive painting swung open like a vault door, gliding silently on well-oiled tracks.
The golden, radiant light from the chandelier violently invaded the dark cubby hidden inside the wall.
The sudden illumination hit the little girl’s wet, red face.
She squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head away from the blinding intrusion.
The waitress’s breath caught sharply in the back of her throat.
May you like
Her hands instantly dropped from the golden frame, hanging paralyzed at her sides.
---
