In a medieval French convent, a ghost is desperate to recover a painting . .
I’m delighted to announce a new medieval mystery: The Ghost in the Closet. It’s inspired by a true story found in Father Rossignoli’s Les Merveilles Divines Dans Les Âmes Du Purgatoire about the suffering soul of an artist.
Here’s an excerpt. The ghost, Jacques Allard, has charged Sister Margaret, a novice in the convent of Poor Clares, to recover a work he painted in his youth. But Allard fails to give the novice any further details, leaving her with the barest of clues to work with.
“It was a work Monsieur Allard had painted in his youth, you say?” Monsieur Guiscard asked as he turned the pages of the ledger. He had not seemed discomposed by Michel’s presence, greeting the child with a kindly smile. “You would not happen to know the year—or the title, perhaps?”
Sister Margaret’s spirits sank. How many works must old Allard have painted in his youth? Was there any hope of finding the one he wanted destroyed without the information Monsieur Guiscard sought?
“It would have been a secular work,” she stammered at last. “It would have to be for him to want to destroy it.”
Monsieur Guiscard nodded approvingly. “So, it would, Sister Margaret, so it would. A most astute observation. That narrows it down quite a bit.”
“Praise the Lord,” Sister Margaret sighed fervently as the young dealer pored over the pages of the ledger.
“There are landscapes, several portraits, some still lifes . . .”
“It might even have been irreverent.” An inspired thought had arisen in Sister Margaret’s mind. “Perhaps a religious picture with satirical intent.”
What else could’ve drawn souls to hell? What else could be causing Monsieur Allard such guilt and suffering in purgatory?
“Aha!” The satisfaction in the dealer’s tone caught Sister Margaret’s attention.
She leaned forward eagerly. “You have found it?”
Monsieur Guiscard beamed happily at her. “My dear Sister Margaret, I believe I have. Although—” He broke off abruptly, looking down at his ledger. . .
The Ghost in the Closet is almost ready for you to read. A Tustin Mystery Special, it’ll roll out first to my newsletter subscribers. If you’re not a subscriber, simply use the Contact Me page to request a copy!
historical mystery, medieval mystery