Hidden Talents

got in the way of his relationships with others. The evidence of his repeated failures surrounded her. It consisted of sixteen file cabinets full of unsold photographs.
    And the corresponding negatives.
    Fortunately, Ambrose had filed by date, usually lumping three or four years' worth of work together. Within that constraint, he filed items alphabetically. She pulled open one of the drawers that contained Ambrose's records for the past three years and started searching for her name. As she expected, the folders were in pristine order.
    She found the file labeled Makepeace, Serenity , almost immediately. Footsteps sounded on the hardwood floor overhead just as she reached inside the folder. She froze.
    “Serenity?”
    The sound of her own name was muffled by the thick wooden ceiling of the basement, but there was no mistaking the dark, deep voice. Caleb was upstairs.
    Serenity didn't know whether to be relieved or annoyed. That was one of the problems she was having with Caleb lately, she thought. Her emotions seemed all mixed up around him.
    “I'm down here. In the basement.” She hastily plucked the single large envelope out of the folder, tucked it under her arm and closed the drawer.
    Caleb's footsteps echoed as he approached the basement door. A moment later he appeared at the top of the stairs. “I should have figured you'd try something like this. Tell me, just as a matter of idle curiosity, are the laws concerning breaking and entering different here in Witt's End than they are in Seattle?”
    “I wouldn't know.” Serenity decided that what she was feeling now was definitely annoyance. Extreme annoyance. “I've never compared the legal codes. As a free-spirited child of the universe, I don't feel the need to pay much attention to man-made laws.”
    “A convenient philosophy.” Caleb started down the stairs. “Did you find the photos?”
    She gave a start. “How did you know?”
    “I may not be a child of the universe, but I'm not an idiot.”
    She clutched the envelope tightly to her side and glared at him. “I'm not stealing them, you know. They belong to me. Ambrose once told me that if I ever wanted them, I could have them.”
    “Did he?” Caleb's gaze went to the large envelope under her arm. “What are you going to do with them?”
    “I don't know. Tear them up and throw them away, I suppose.” She scowled at him. “They've caused me enough trouble as it is.”
    “I thought you said they were high art.”
    “They are art. But they've also proven to be trouble. So I'm going to get rid of them. I certainly don't have any use for them.”
    A thoughtful expression crossed Caleb's hard face. “You do realize that the fact that you found those photos here implies that Asterley was the blackmailer, after all. It's obvious now that he didn't give or sell those negatives to someone else.”
    “Yes, I know.” Serenity felt another twinge of sadness. “I still can't believe Ambrose would have done something like this. I suppose he must have had his reasons.”
    “Hell, you'd make excuses for the devil himself.” Caleb came to a halt on the bottom step and surveyed the room. He whistled softly. “I see Asterley liked photography equipment. Looks like he only worked with the best.”
    “Ambrose cared passionately about his work.”
    “Yeah, sure. A real artist. Come on, let's get out of here.”
    Serenity smiled coolly. “Surely you don't want to be seen leaving here with me? If we're caught, you might be implicated in my criminal activities.”
    “As your partner and business consultant, I'll just have to risk it. Part of the job, you know. Let's go, Serenity.”
    She was genuinely amused now. “You're really nervous about being down here, aren't you?”
    “Is that so strange? Where I come from, people get arrested for doing things like this.”
    “Relax, Caleb. Ambrose was a friend. He wouldn't mind my being here.” Serenity started toward the stairs. “But I'm ready to go now. There's something very depressing about this basement.”
    She was less than a yard away from where Caleb waited impatiently on the bottom step when she heard the muted sound of an automobile engine.
    “Damn it to hell,” Caleb muttered. “Someone's out there.”
    “It's probably just Jessie or someone else from Witt's End,” Serenity said, hoping that was the case.
    “What if it's one of his relatives come to collect his things? Or the cops? If you don't mind, I'd just as soon not get caught taking