PAUL WILKINS
1977
THE ART DEALER WHO OPENS THE DOOR
Paul Wilkins is a Toronto art gallery owner whose world revolves around paintings, provenance and artistic legacy. Knowledgeable and attentive to detail, he is also pompous, arrogant and decidedly aware of his own importance.
His personality clashes almost immediately with Jeff O’Brian’s no-nonsense approach. Yet beneath their friction, a seemingly casual disclosure from Wilkins will provide Jeff with the first real lead into the mystery he has been assigned to investigate.
A PAINTING IN PRIVATE HANDS
During their conversation, Wilkins mentions something that immediately catches Jeff’s attention: a Tom Thomson painting titled Path Behind Mowat Lodge remains in private hands.
The revelation gives Jeff something he has not had before—a tangible lead. His questions about the painting will ultimately point him toward its owner, Daphne Crombie, and transform what began as a routine anniversary story into a genuine investigation.
AN UNEXPECTED CATALYST
Wilkins may not realize the significance of what he has revealed, but his information sets Jeff on a path that will lead far beyond the Toronto art world.
In pointing Jeff toward Daphne Crombie and Larry Dixon’s Cabin, the self-important art dealer becomes an unlikely catalyst for an investigation into events buried for sixty years.