Collection (16 page)

“It's not a damn game, Lucien. It's life. More than our own. We can't risk exposure.”

If Cicero's issue was exposure, Raleigh wasn't the problem. He didn't have much beyond a phone number and physical description of Lucien's smuggler alter ego. If Raleigh went after ‘Lucky', he wouldn't get very far. Raleigh also wouldn't go to legitimate law enforcement. He would depend on his goons, and Lucien and Cicero would have no trouble evading their clumsy attempts.

Jane was the problem. She had enough information to raise questions that would be difficult to answer. They had weathered scrutiny before, but it was getting more and more difficult to keep to themselves. Science was progressing. Law enforcement and the art establishment were getting more difficult to deceive. Lucien and Cicero were hoping to finance a serious genetic study of their family's unique genes. They needed science to help them find a cure, but couldn't help but feel that technology was also making their discovery a certainty. They needed to find a cure before the rest of the world found them. Getting Jane to cooperate was a necessity. Lucien would try to earn her goodwill any way he could. If he wasn't able to, Cicero would certainly find a way to compel her to do as they wished. To Lucien, making her do something she didn't want to do made them no better than Raleigh.

He finished packing and went to the airport. He hoped she wouldn't be as scared on this flight as she'd been on Raleigh's private plane. He just wanted to relax, maybe sleep a little. It had been days since he'd had a decent night's sleep. Too many dreams.

Jane entered the terminal about an hour before takeoff. She had a small carry-on with her. She looked worried, and started to scan the people waiting in line at the ticket desks. He considered leaving her
here, getting on the plane and doing what he had to do without her. She was hard to say no to, but he still didn't want to endanger her. Finally, he caught her eye and motioned her to join him in a darker corner of the airport.

“Here are your tickets. Make sure you make your connection in London.”

“Aren't you coming with?”

“Yes, I'm coming with you. I'm just not sitting with you, Jane. There are cameras everywhere in airports. I can't be seen with you. I'll be on a different flight. If anybody asks, you're interviewing for an art study internship at Montreaux Restorations. When you get to Geneva, one of my people will approach you. Go with her and I'll see you at the house.”

“Is it another house like the one here?”

“Yes. In fact it is.”

“What do you do in there? Is it your secret lair or something?”

Lucien thought it an accurate description, but he didn't want to give Jane any more information about what they did there than she could already guess.

“It is a branch of a private art restoration corporation, just like the house in Geneva. As the name indicates, we restore art.”

Jane knew his game. “You mean you copy it and give your unsuspecting customer a fake.”

“Sometimes. You can discuss your moral superiority later, get on the plane.”

Lucien reached out and just like that Jane felt him along her skin, his scent a vivid memory. He leaned down and picked up her carry on bag. He handed it to her without touching her and turned away without another word. Jane watched Lucien go. He managed to blend into the crowd within seconds. She looked at the tickets. If she were going to make it through security and onto the plane, she would have to hurry.

18

THE FLIGHT TO LONDON
was excruciating. Jane didn't have time to buy anything to read, and in her mad dash to pack a bag and get on the plane before it took off, she didn't bring anything that could remotely be construed as entertaining. The magazines stuffed in the seat back in front of her were falling apart. There was nobody sitting next to her, which usually would have been ideal, but five hours into the flight she was desperate for anything to take her mind off of Raleigh and his threats. She would even be willing to chat with a total stranger about how excited they were to finally take a trip to Jolly Olde England. Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, fish and chips. All that Jane would see of England was the terminal at Heathrow.

She made her connecting flight to Geneva, and never saw Lucien anywhere in the airport or on the plane. She was beginning to think he had given her the slip. She wasn't sure what she would do if she got to Geneva and nobody was there. She didn't have enough money to get home. Her faith was put to the test as she exited the Geneva International Airport. She wandered over to the cab stands, hopeful that whoever she was supposed to meet had a car nearby. She managed to get to the curb before a black BMW pulled up. The passenger side window glided down and Jane was able to peer in at the driver. It was a young woman, early twenties, blonde hair, and very pretty. She had a polished look - not too much makeup and a conservative dark suit.

“Are you Jane Smith?”

“Yes. Are you…”

“I am a friend of Lucien's. Please get in.”

The woman pushed a button and the trunk opened smoothly. The woman got out of the car and started for the back. After a long plane ride, Jane really wanted to stretch out, but if all this secrecy required her to climb in the trunk, she figured she could climb in the trunk. She walked over to the back of the car just as the woman got there. The look on her face must have told the woman Jane would have preferred an alternative.

“For your bag. You will ride up front, of course.” Duh. Jane realized that she wasn't really cut out for the super secret stuff. She wasn't even ready for the kinda confidential. After stowing her carry-on, Jane hopped into the front passenger seat. The woman slammed the trunk shut and seated herself quickly.

“I am Hannah. I will take you to the house. Lucien will meet us there.” Jane thought the woman's faint French accent betrayed a little disapproval.

“Thank you for picking me up.”

“I do as I'm told.” Yup, disapproval.

“Oh.”

The rest of the ride was silent. They drove from the airport to a large chalet by the lake. Jane stared out the window the whole way. She had gotten a passport on the outside chance she would be able to travel with school, but that was a long shot. It was more of a pipe dream than anything, but this was no dream. It was gorgeous. The only other time Jane had seen buildings like the ones just outside their little car was when she looked at paintings. Now, she was in the middle of a cultural mecca. It was a long way from home, but it was wonderful.

They turned off the main road and drove down a winding street up to a set of large gates. Jane had a sense of deja vu. This house was set up almost the same as the house in Atlanta. It was private and unassuming, and it was massive. Hannah brought the car to a stop in the circular drive in front of the house. She got out and Jane followed. Lucien was there waiting in the foyer.

She smiled without thinking. “I didn't think I was going to see you again!”

“Where else would I go?”

“I don't know, maybe you changed your mind about including me in all this.”

“Couldn't you tell if I was lying to you?”

“Well, you weren't lying before, but it doesn't mean you can't change your mind. There is such a thing as free will.” Jane couldn't help herself, she looked around anxiously.

“So, is it here? The painting?”

“It's nearby. I can't let you come with me, but I'll check on it. When we leave in a few days, we'll take it with us.”

“How are we going to get it onto a plane? They don't exactly let you go through security with a painting like that, do they?”

“I'll take it through. You don't have to worry about that. Why don't you get some sleep? It's been a long flight, and you're probably tired.”

“Thanks, I think I will. I couldn't sleep too well on the plane.”

“Jane, don't worry. It'll be okay.”

As Hannah led her to a guest room, Jane wondered if she could rely on Lucien's optimism to get her through this latest crisis. It was one thing to depend on him to get her home from Cuba, but her family was at risk now.

Her room was opulent and overlooked a private lake. She was able to fall asleep in the lofty down comforter on the bed without much trouble. The room smelled like lilacs. There were certain perks to high stakes crime.

19

LUCIEN WENT STRAIGHT TO SEE FRANKA
. If anyone knew what had happened to allow the Vermeer to be copied again, it was her. She was in charge of the operation of the Geneva branch and oversaw all the women who lived in the house and any dealings they had in the region. He found her in her office, waiting for him. She hadn't changed. Her short blonde hair and impeccable makeup always reminded him of a carefully tended pixie.

“Franka, How are you?”

“I'm well, Lucien. It's been a while since you visited us. Since you wouldn't tell me over the phone why you were coming, I can assume it's bad, yes?”

“It's confusing, to say the least. One of the Vermeers we copied and sold appeared on the market again. It wasn't resold, it wasn't a duplicate of the duplicate. I need to see if the original is still in the vault. Somebody made that second copy, and it wasn't the guy I sold it to, it was made off of the original.”

“That's easily done, let me bring up our inventory on the computer.”

She turned to the laptop on her desk and typed in her passwords. “What about the girl? Is she involved in this somehow?”

“Her family is being threatened by the man I sold the first copy to. He was not pleased to see it being sold again, and he has a very pronounced case of buyer's remorse. I have to bring him the original, or he's going to kill some people that don't deserve it. Jane insisted on coming with me. She's got some talents in getting at the truth, and I figured it would be useful to have her along.”

Franka playfully tsked while typing. “I hope you don't think I would conceal anything from you, Lucien.”

“Of course not, but it is her family. I couldn't say no.”

Franka nodded her head as she scanned the inventory file. “It says here that we have it in the vault, safe and sound. I can give Hannah the location and she'll take you down to see it. I have a meeting with a client over dinner. He's interested in sending us some restoration work for the University of Geneva. We may finally get a look at their private collection. There are a few plum pieces in there that we could add to our vault.”

“Great, when you get a chance tomorrow, I want a list of who worked on the original Vermeer copy. We need to figure out who had access and opportunity to create another one.”

“Perhaps I should call you Inspector Lucien? It takes a criminal to locate a criminal, yes?”

Franka walked with Lucien back to the main foyer. Hannah was waiting for them. “Hannah, take Lucien down to the vault. He has to recover a painting there. Here is the location.” She handed Hannah a slip of paper with several lines of letters and numbers.

“I do as I'm told.” Hannah shrugged.

“Don't start with that again, Hannah. You're almost done with your punishment. It would be a shame to add on another few weeks to your sentence.”

Franka left out the front door. Lucien caught a whiff of her perfume as she went. She had obviously armed herself with her best weapons to secure the job over dinner. Franka was stern with her daily administration of the Geneva house, but when she wanted to turn on the charm, she was unstoppable.

“Hannah, what did you do to end up on assistant duty? You should be painting, not driving around.”

“Yes, I should be painting. Maybe you could talk to Franka about it? I was out after curfew a few times, and she overreacts. I'm far too senior to be picking up your girlfriend from the airport.”

“Hannah, she's not my girlfriend.”

“She certainly seemed happy to see you.”

“It's complicated.”

“Right, because girlfriends are never complicated.”

“Hannah, take me to the vault.”

“I do as I'm told.”

Hannah led Lucien to a staircase near the back of the house. She slid up a panel next to the door and laid her left hand against a sensor. After a series of beeps, the sensor glowed green.

“Your turn.”

Lucien laid his left hand against the same sensor and waited. The same series of beeps sounded, and the sensor turned blue. The outer door clicked open and they were able to pass through. Hannah closed the panel, and they went down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs a huge metal door gleamed in the dim light. Hannah took a small, oddly shaped key out of her pocket and inserted it into a lock almost hidden to the side of the door. She turned the key back and forth a few times, and then stood aside. Lucien stepped forward, took a similar key out of his pocket, and repeated Hannah's movements. He then turned the exterior wheel and pulled the door slowly open. They passed through an atmospheric conditioning room and finally entered the interior vault.

“The new security system is working quite well, although you could have added an eye scanning laser or perhaps a giant fire-breathing three-headed dog out front. The gloves are there.” Hannah gestured to a cardboard box with cloth gloves to ensure that anyone handling the art pieces wouldn't leave behind skin oils or fingerprints. Lucien took a pair out and put them in his pocket.

He turned to Hannah expectantly.

“The security system is necessary, however annoying it may be for you to ask someone else to come down here with you. Okay, where are we going?”

“Are you in a hurry? That's amusing. Section E6, Carousel 7.” Lucien frowned as Hannah turned to lead him through the vault. They made their way toward the appropriate section and Lucien stopped in front of Carousel 7.

“Which slot is it in?”

“The second.”

“Are you sure?”

“It's either a two or a seven. Franka is a messy writer. Maybe she should be put on probation.”

“Hannah, there's nothing in slot two and slot seven is a Constable. I think I know the difference.”