When Abby and Jackie returned to work after lunch, he was still busy in the office, and Abby couldn’t help but notice his secretive behavior as he tended to his paperwork. The office door remained shut, further piquing her curiosity. Earlier, when she’d made her surprise appearance, she’d managed only a brief glimpse into the room because Jackie happened to be blocking most of the doorway. Now Abby learned that the room was virtually soundproof, and with no windows and just the one solid steel door, absolutely impregnable. The absurd notion that the office would make an ideal holding cell immediately wormed its way into her imagination, to the extent that it created an obsession of sorts for her get inside. While Abby’s admittance had been stymied, Jackie entered the office several times to talk to Randall. After the first of these meetings, the change in her mother’s behavior had been obvious. Jackie chattered nonstop as she bustled about the gallery. She joked and laughed with enthusiasm, using outrageous, dramatic hand gestures while describing the artwork on the walls.
