The Garden of Unearthly Delights

by Alex Connor

Genres: Thrillers

Synopsis

This exclusive short story is the perfect accompaniment to Alex Connor's gripping new novel, The Bosch Deception, a sample chapter of which is included in this ebook. Reporter David Gerrald has heard of the controversy surrounding Hieronymus Bosch's famous painting St Jerome, but he suspects there's more to the story than the papers are reporting. So when a shady figure connected to the scandal grants him an exclusive interview, Gerrald is eager to learn what really happened to Bosch's masterpiece. But as Gerrald digs deeper he finds that the glamour of the art world hides a multitude of sins. Is Gerrald's mystery confidant to be trusted, or is there a darker incentive at play?

Release date: June 30, 2014

Publisher: Quercus Publishing

Print pages: 28

Sample

LondonThe present day

David Gerrald had been waiting for a while before, finally, the door opened and the man he was about to interview entered. The art dealer was precisely what David had expected – which surprised him. His urbanity and relaxed charm were intact, and his handshake was pitch perfect.

Sitting down at the table the two men faced each other.

‘Do you mind if I record what you say?’ David asked. ‘I used to take notes, but this is easier. I can get a better connection if I don’t spend my whole time scribbling.’

The other man nodded, unconcerned, as David set up the recorder and placed it on the table between them. It was a model that only recorded when someone was speaking. If there was a silence, it stopped suddenly, like a bore that had been caught out at a party.

‘In your letter you said that you’d be willing to talk to me,’ David continued, then paused. The red light went off on the recorder. ‘Are you ready?’

‘Absolutely.’

The red beam flickered again, like a fire trying to catch light.

‘Ok,’ David said. ‘So, if you’ll just tell me what happened. In your own time.’

‘What happened? Well you’ll have to concentrate because it’s complicated. Fooled me totally, I can tell you. Roped me in before I had chance to see what was coming. But I’m hurrying on and I need to slow down, and explain.’ The man paused, stared at the recorder. It seemed to amuse him, clicking on and off. ‘As you know, I’m an art dealer. Forty-nine years of age, medium build, more healthy than I should be after the way I’ve lived.’

David nodded, as though to encourage him. Which he didn’t need.

‘My ascent into the upper echelons of the London art scene was fast, helped along by my mentor, Samuel Hemmings. He became rather notorious with regard to the “Rembrandt Secret”.’

‘But he’s dead now?’

‘Oh yes, Samuel’s long gone. . .