False Impression

“He’s just arrived,” she said. “I’ll tell him you want to see him.”

Neither the man from Lloyd’s nor the Christie’s expert felt this was the moment to hang around, hoping to be offered a cup of coffee. They discreetly left, as Leapman came rushing in.

“It’s a fake,” shouted Fenston.

Leapman stared up at the picture for some time before offering an opinion. “Then we both know who’s responsible,” he eventually said.

“Petrescu,” said Fenston, spitting out the name.

“Not to mention her partner, who has been feeding Petrescu with information since the day you fired her.”

“You’re right,” said Fenston, and turning toward the open door he hollered “Tina” at the top of his voice. Once again, she came running into the room.

“You see that picture,” he said, unable even to turn around and look at the painting. Tina nodded, but didn’t speak. “I want you to put it back in its box, and then immediately dispatch it to Wentworth Hall, along with a demand for—”

“Thirty-two million, eight hundred and ninety-two thousand dollars,” said Leapman.

“And once you’ve done that,” said Fenston, “you can collect all your personal belongings and make sure you’re off the premises within ten minutes, because you’re fired, you little bitch.”

Tina began shaking as Fenston rose from behind his desk and stared down at her. “But before you leave, I have one last task for you.” Tina couldn’t move. “Tell your friend Petrescu that I still haven’t removed her name from the ‘missing, presumed dead’ list.”

47

ANNA FELT HER lunch with Ken Wheatley could have gone better. The deputy chairman of Christie’s had made it clear that the unfortunate incident that had caused her to resign from Sotheby’s was not yet considered by her colleagues in the art world to be a thing of the past. And it didn’t help that Bryce Fenston was telling anyone who cared to listen that she had been fired for conduct unworthy of an officer of the bank. Wheatley admitted that no one much cared for Fenston. However, they felt unable to offend such a valuable customer, which meant that her reentry into the auction house arena wasn’t going to prove that easy.

Wheatley’s words only made Anna more determined to help Jack secure a conviction against Fenston, who didn’t seem to care whose life he ruined.

There wasn’t anything suitable at the moment for someone with her qualifications and experience, was how Ken had euphemistically put it, but he promised to keep in touch.

When Anna left the restaurant, she hailed a cab. Perhaps her second meeting would prove more worthwhile. “Twenty-six Federal Plaza,” she told the driver.

__________

Jack was standing in the lobby of the New York field office waiting for Anna some time before she was due to arrive. He was not surprised to see her appear a couple of minutes early. Three guards watched Anna carefully as she descended the dozen steps that led to the entrance of 26 Federal Plaza. She gave her name to one of the guards, who requested proof of identity. She passed over her driver’s license, which he checked before ticking off her name on his clipboard.

Jack opened the door for her.

“Not my idea of a first date,” said Anna, as she stepped inside.

“Nor mine,” Jack tried to reassure her, “but my boss wanted you to be in no doubt how important he considers this meeting.”

“Why, is it my turn to be arrested?” asked Anna.

“No, but he is hoping that you will be willing to assist us.”

“Then let’s go and bell the cat.”

“One of your father’s favorite expressions,” said Jack.

“How did you know that?” asked Anna. “Have you got a file on him as well?”

“No,” said Jack, laughing, as they stepped into the elevator. “It was just one of the things you told me on the plane during our first night together.”

Jack whisked Anna to the nineteenth floor, where Dick Macy was waiting in the corridor to greet her.

“How kind of you to come in, Dr. Petrescu,” he said, as if she’d had a choice. Anna didn’t comment. Macy led her through to his office and ushered her into a comfortable chair on the other side of his desk.

“Although this is an off-the-record meeting,” began Macy, “I cannot stress how important we at the Bureau consider your assistance.”