’ Ronald had remained impassive up to this point, allowing his boss to let off just enough steam. Then he responded, ‘Are you actually asking me? ’ Michael sat at the outer desk in the main gallery, searching through the backdated brochures which he had accumulated on the deceased artist. This time he swore. Looking up over the rim of his glasses, he remarked, ‘Just thinking aloud, Ronald. ’ ‘Odd,’ his assistant observed. ‘Some artists have an aura attached to them. This is often built on a somewhat flimsy reputation. It’s called hype. In the case of Patrick Porter, it was the manner of his death that was intriguing and puzzling. Like John Stonehouse…one day he’s here, the next he’s gone. Or is he? Apparently, just like in the case of the disgraced politician, his discarded clothes were also left on a beach, near Flamborough Head. Suicide or another bloody fiasco? A cryptic suicide note suggested that a troubled life left the artist with no alternative but a rather horrible death by drowning at sea.
